Category: Scripture

Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture, Wisdom

And What If I Don’t Wanna?

Posted on by Katharine

Cologne Cathedral - "Bayernfenster" ...

What if I do not forgive? What happens then?

Several things:

  • I am not forgiven. In the book of Matthew 6:14-15, as Jesus is teaching His followers how to pray, He adds the admonition that if we do not forgive others, then God does not forgive us. Unforgiveness sounds like the unforgivable sin, to me!
  • I bind the sin to my children. In the book of Exodus 20:5-6, God tells us the consequences of unforgiven sin pass down to several generations. It makes sense. If I dwell on someone else’s sin for years, I start acting on this input. But there is more. If I am not forgiven, then instead of being in covenant with God, I covenant with His enemy. How can that bring any good?
  • I do not loose the sinner. In Matthew 16:19 and 18:18-35, even Jesus’ own followers had questions about forgiveness. (It’s always been a tough topic!) He then taught them: when we forgive something on earth, it is forgiven in Heaven. This very thing happened to Saul of Tarsus, who later changed his name to Paul. When Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:60,) his last words were of forgiveness for his killers, one of whom Saul was. What if Stephen had not forgiven him? Would we have the writings of Paul, today?

Here is what I used to teach my children when they were young and beginning to discover that relationship is not always all fun. Sometimes they would experience childish tussles and strike back or hold anger against others. So I said:

“If someone does something bad to you, it hurts. I know.

“But if you just do something back to them, it does not help you. You still hurt, and now they hurt, too. What good does that do?

“If you stay angry and then someone innocent comes along and, because of your hurt that you failed to get rid of, you strike out at that person, you STILL hurt, and that new person hurts, too.

“You are trying to get rid of your hurt by giving hurt to someone else. But when you give it to someone else, it does not mean they can take it AWAY from you. They may take it, but they cannot take it AWAY. You leave them hurting, too, and they may try to get rid of their hurt by giving hurt to yet someone else, who also cannot take it away.

“It’s a little like the flu. I can give it to you, but then I still have it; we both will have it. It just spreads.

“Only One person can take hurt AWAY, and that is God. If you give your hurt to Him, He can take it away from you and make you feel much better.”

Now, maybe that was too simple for an adult, but it is true. It’s what He died for. Why not try Him out?https://homescool.blog/2015/10/25/wrapped-in-a-bedsheet/

TOMORROW: A STORY ABOUT FORGIVENESS!

_________________

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Posted in Inspiring, Photos, Sayings, Scripture, Wisdom

Denial, Excuses, and Folly, Oh No!

Posted on by Katharine

Rembrandt – “The Return of the Prodigal SonThere sure are a lot of wrong theories and sayings about forgiveness out there, these days! Most people have heard them all, too many times.

Still, although logic tells us something is wrong, we strain to forgive according to all the wrong theories we’ve heard.

We cannot figure it out.

Nothing seems to happen.

Several of our victimizers do not stay forgiven very long at all.

What!

To get a grasp on exactly what we are supposed to do, let’s first eliminate all wrong thinking upon which some people may be trying to convince us to act. For instance, forgiveness is not:

Denial

Forgiveness is NOT saying, “Oh, it’s okay.” When someone has done hurtful wrong against you, IT IS NOT OKAY!

It should make us feel all rotten inside to say it is.

Why? Because spreading wrongful hurt is not okay; it is sin. Sin is not okay with God; how could it be okay with us?

Saying it is okay, is denial. It’s just plain ol’ living a lie.

Only say, “It’s okay,” when it was not sin, was not intended as sin, and was not received as sin.

Only say, “It’s okay,” if you truly would be okay with it happening again.

Excuses

Forgiveness is NOT forgetting. How can anyone forget something on purpose!

We have miraculous brains that function largely by memory. We do not have back-space keys for our brains.

God can decide to forget something, if He wants, or He can cause us to forget something, but we do not have that kind of power.

Thinking we must forget, in order to prove we have forgiven, sets us up for making excuses. We say, “I’ll never be able to forgive that, because I just can’t forget what he did.” Or we think we have not forgiven because memories keep resurfacing.

We haven’t forgiven, obviously, because we still remember it?
So it must be hopeless to try?

What a wide-open door for excuses!

Folly

Forgiveness is NOT trusting. It is neither safe nor wise to trust someone who has proven himself to be untrustworthy.

To send a youngster back to a bullying classroom or molesting teacher, to lend more money to someone who has not repaid, to tell a secret to a gossip, is just plain folly.

Yes, we must forgive those who sin against us, but we do NOT have to trust them again, in order to prove we have done so.

We certainly do not have to feel guilty for helping put such a one in jail, if his sin was illegal.

Besides that, trust, by its very nature, must be earned, cannot be demanded.

So What IS Forgiveness?!

If we look up the word, “forgive,” we can find the original meanings of its ancient parts: to give far away, to “far-give”.

Think: Where would you put all that pain, if you could download it somewhere else? How far away would be far enough? Would sending it into another existence be far enough? It would do fine, for me.

The farthest possible distance from me, from this existence is:

In God’s hands. When He takes it, it’s gone.

Giving it to Him can feel like work, but it is forgiveness. And is far less work than dealing with your current agony. I know.

  1. Forgiveness is SAYING, “I forgive it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
    (Yes, it is like writing a check on His checkbook to pay a debt, which we cannot actually do unless we are actually His.)
    It is a transaction, like writing off a bad debt. Our feelings may be screaming, but it is not about feelings; it is about getting past this great wrong and moving on with this life. It’s about positioning ourselves for the next life beyond.
  2. Forgiveness is REFUSING to remember the sin against the sinner.
    Yes, it was a bad debt; no, we will not continue mentally sending bills to “debtor’s prison”. That part is over.
  3. Forgiveness is MINISTERING to the sinner.
    Maybe the only safe or possible thing we can do is pray for him, but because we, ourselves, have been forgiven by so marvelous a God, we are free and power-filled  to do so.
    Seeing this is a mark of true forgiveness.

Now we have dealt with the why’s of suffering and forgiveness, and we have defined terms. Come on by tomorrow and get the HOW-TO and some FAQ’s.

________________

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Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture, Wisdom

Dust to Dust Do-Over

Posted on by Katharine

the rejectionLet’s lengthen yesterday’s list of sins against us:
rape,
lying,
rejecting,
breaking and entering,
laying-off.

Have I hit you yet?

What to do! Outside of calling the police, or suing, which can be legitimate actions, how do we finally get some peace about the hurtful things people do to us?

Forgiveness.

Yes, that’s the answer; that’s how we get peace. And forgiveness is often the one thing we least understand and least want.

Like bad-tasting medicine.

I know.

Just as in yesterday’s post, the first reason is God.

1.  God. God requires us to forgive. This is the best reason because when we are wounded and aching on the inside, we don’t understand much—but we don’t even have to think. We just know what He requires and we prepare to go there.

God also promises to reward our forgiveness toward others with His forgiveness toward us, which, if we are honest, should highly motivate us.

And like any good father, God teaches by example. He shows us how to do forgiveness, in the most radical, graphic way.

2.  Man. Man wants and needs forgiveness. Who among us is innocent?

To keep God’s forgiveness, we must be forgiving. Since He has shown us His awesome power to forgive, how can we do less than try to imitate Him? That is His thinking.

Forgiveness also frees man to be able to hear God. Before we forgive, all we can hear from Him is how we ought to forgive. Once we are over that hurdle, He can show us so much more.

Lack of forgiveness binds us to the sinner we refuse to forgive. This is so scary. What it means is that when we refuse to forgive sin against us, when we hug it up to ourselves and get it out and look at it every day, we start BEING like that sin.

Look at it this way: With a physical wound, if we treat it correctly, we can greatly minimize the scarring. But if we refuse to remove the dirt, refuse to medicate it, refuse a bandage, and continue picking at it, we make it worse. Bigger. Deeper. Uglier. Longer-lasting. More painful.

With a spiritual wound, we can even pass it down to our children…

3.  Satan. Of course, he hates forgiveness, a real no-brainer, right?

The fun thing about this is when we obey God about forgiving, we SHUT THE DOOR TO HIS ENEMY. This is exactly what we need.

The reverse is also true, though: when we disobey about forgiving, we open a door to him and his horrible ways.

Stop by tomorrow for Part 3, about what forgiveness actually is.

I promise you, you will find it WONDERFUL NEWS!

_________________________________-

Image by Andreas Winterer via Flickr

Posted in Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Sayings, Scripture, Wisdom

Ashes to Ashes Again

Posted on by Katharine

CalvaryUsually, if I talk on this subject, I ask everyone who has ever suffered unfair treatment to raise his hand.

This is not about illness, but about medical error. This is not about car wrecks, but about DUI. Ever suffer from either of those? This is not about miscarriages, but about forced abortions—I know you are out there.

If you have never suffered from someone mistreating you, then I KNOW you know someone else who has so suffered. It is altogether common.

I want to begin addressing it and giving you tools to help yourself or help that acquaintance. Someone you know needs this post and the ones that will follow, so listen up and spread the word.

Why Does Suffering Come to Us?

1.  God. Common folks blame the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Why do we never blame any other presumed gods?!) But those who blame Him must first believe that He exists, so if you claim atheism or agnosticism, do NOT let it be because you blame what you consider a non-existent entity. Is that fair? Of course.

So if we believe He exists, if we believe He is “up there” to be blamed, then the main way we can know anything about Him is to consult His writings.

In His writings, we find that He made everything very good. Not messed up, like it is now.

It. Is. Not. His. Fault.

2.  Man. God gave man choices, Life and Death, and we chose death. So here we are. He TOLD us, for our own good, what to do and we did the opposite, did not obey. Even today, even those who think maybe there is a God, even those who claim to love Him totally, do not always obey and thereby choose death. Admit it.

And what a lie, today, that the only way to be pro-choice is to choose death! Really, we do NOT think!

However, the only way God’s creation can work well, is if every part is working together, just like a motor or a body. Anything wonky messes up everything. We must fall in line with His business plan if we hope to benefit from all His goodness.

Many people do not line up with Him. They line up with His enemy, instead. This is the constant battle between good and evil. Helping the hurting. Protecting the innocent. Guarding the airports. It is a constant battle—even inside ourselves—to make any good thing happen, because of the constant attack on all things good.

3.  Satan. According to the words of the God we are tentatively agreeing might exist, Satan hates God and all things good. So—he hates all creation. He personally hates every human being because they are all potential containers for God, his chosen enemy. He especially hates firstborn children, because they remind him of Jesus. Are you a firstborn? Ever notice anything?

To give himself significance, Satan thinks he must fight God. Steal! Kill! Destroy!—that is his motto. And his secret formula is to get man to join him. Anything he can do to trick man into cooperating with him, he will do, if he can. Anything to cause thievery, death, destruction will suit him just fine.

So, if you are not a Christian, you truly could say, “The devil made me do it.” But it doesn’t get anyone off the hook . . . .

Okay, all this was introduction. Tomorrow we begin the main deal and you won’t want to miss it, so sign up, so you won’t forget!

And share! Thanks!

See ya’ tomorrow

_______________

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Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Homemaking, Inspiring, Photos, Sayings, Scripture, Wisdom

Cheery Tomatoes

Posted on by Katharine
sad vines
Sad Vines
I can’t exactly call them cherry tomatoes, although they are of that variety. Trouble is, cherries are red.
But these are cheer, personified. I planted them beside my front porch because they would be yellow and everything in the front of our house is yellow, from the roses, to the foundation plantings.
happy fruit
Happy Fruits

As you can see, the vines have become bedraggled, as is normal for all annual type plants in fall. What you cannot see is how much better they look than they did even a week ago. I mourned all the promising green fruits because I thought they were dying. Maybe they were.

But they did not give up. They eventually received some rain and the temps are so much milder, now, these poor South American natives can finally breathe and reproduce! Like the “Little Engine That Could” they thought they could until they did.
I love how the most hope-giving mottos of life are from the Bible: “Do not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season, ye shall reap, if ye faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)
How many times have I held on because of those words! How many times have I not wanted to forgive, but did, anyway. How many times have I feared, but followed through; have I reached out, tended to, lent a hand, smiled, listened, when I really wanted to go my own way.
How many times have I offered to help and been handed something too hard, something I then had to learn how to do, because, after all, I offered? And then I learned more than I knew was possible for me to grasp. And my life became richer. And my thanksgiving became more sincere. And my love became deeper.
Let’s keep on keeping on. Let’s not give up. Let’s “faint not”.
Posted in Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Husbands, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture, Wisdom, Wives

Seven Reasons Your Christian Husband Can’t Do Better – Part 7

Posted on by Katharine

Walking on the sea. Schellenberg. In the Bowye...

Reason #7

It Is a Test

The trying of your faith worketh patience. (James 1:3)

Could this be happening to you? To your husband? To your marriage?

Yes.

In fact, you hope this happens in your lives, because the Scripture also tells us, “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:6) The Lord’s favor, thus expressed, can come in almost any form. Everyone may not always react rightly.

Solution #7: Rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. This is the will of the Lord in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) This is truth.

Don’t get me wrong. I do not believe God originally intended anything for His children except lots of pleasant fruit eating and gardening. Things changed, though. We do not live precisely where He originally intended, and the choice was ours. We get a foretaste of Heaven when we fellowship with the Lord, but everyone knows a foretaste is like a little kiss when compared to full knowledge. It is very good, but not all there is. This is where we are.

The facts are, tough stuff happens to everyone who is still on this earth. We find ourselves in the midst of people who react incorrectly.

This one forgets to love, that one has lost joy, another will not give you any peace. Perhaps you become impatient. Gentleness flies out the window. Someone has a wicked opinion, doubts, pride, or just decides to “let ‘er rip”. Any one of these acts could be your specialty. Any could be mine.

Any could be your husband’s.

So how could your husband’s poor record, if it is related to testing, be working for good? Is he learning about himself or about the Lord’s grace, however painfully? Are you learning new depths of patience? If you overreact, is he forgiving? Are you? Are your children learning about the mysterious union between Christ and the Church by watching the two of you wade through troubles?

Think about it: You trust God. You believe He loves you. You have committed your ways unto Him. How could this be anything except His will, His desire for you to learn, to grow, or to improve?

It is worth it. Knowing Jesus more fully is worth any price. Paul said he wanted to know Him and the fellowship of His suffering. (Philippians 3:10a) Do you? If you do, it will be all right with you if Jesus teaches you. Then, if you become like your Teacher, it is enough. (Matthew 10:24-25)

Sometimes, God wants to show you how His heart is breaking over sin. So He will show you sin. If you run away from a lesson and hole up at home, He will continue the lesson at home. Yes, you should be a home-keeper, but if forced, He can bring any lesson very close.

Sometimes God wants you to learn how to pray. Then you may need something to pray about, for none of us inherently desires to spend time at His feet. Some wives have to see generational sin before they will get busy. If you realize new layers of maturity you need, what is holding you back?

Sometimes the Lord wants to carry you in His arms like a little lamb. (Isaiah 40:11) If you are more like a big goat, you may need a short time of “weakening”. King David said before he was afflicted, he did not understand the goodness of the Lord. (Psalm 119: 67-75) Are you like him? Do you need trouble, now and then, to remember to drink of the sweet, clear water of salvation? We all need Jesus all the time, so a reminder, now and then, is good.

Is it dreary to think of it? Yes, Scripture says all discipline is unpleasant. (Hebrews 12:11) But later…oh, later! Who could pay you to give up the peaceful fruit of righteousness? What would be your price? If you could trade a life of ease for a righteous life, would you?

He will not let you.

The Potter is softening the clay. The Vine-Husbandman is pruning the fruitful vine. The Father is disciplining the precious child. You want to escape that?

No. You want to flow with the ride like a skillful horseman, leaning into the jumps in the race. If you fall off, you want to get back on. You are riding a Champion, Who will take you to the finish line. You will win. YOU WILL WIN!

Once there was a storm. Eleven people cowered in a boat, but one stepped out—into the arms of Jesus. (Matthew 14:29)

Be that one.

____________________

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