Category Archives: Gospel of Matthew

2018, Christian Living, Ephesians, Forgiveness, Gospel of Matthew, Guests, Romans

In A Word

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Reading time: Approximately  3 minutes.

One word for the year.
One word to guide the year.
One word to direct my focus for 365 days.
Could one word do all that?
In a word.
Yes! 
But how do you pick that one word? In two words. You Don’t. You receive that word from The GOD who loves you. Okay. That was more than a word. :)

I like my friend, Leah Adams‘ word for 2018. Here’s a link. Check it out! 

I believe my guiding word for 2018 is forgiveness. It’s my word to receive, to give, to pray for, to live. Forgiveness heals. Forgiveness revives. Forgiveness restores. Forgiveness gives life to body, soul and spirit. Forgiveness sets a soul on the path to wholeness. And wholeness is my plea; for myself, for family, for friends, for strangers near and far.

A year of forgiveness, what will that be? I would say not easy but naturally speaking it is more than not easy. It. Is. Impossible!  Unless! 

Matthew 19:26  (YLT) 26 And Jesus having earnestly beheld, said to them, `With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.‘  source

This year when I forgive will I be saying the offense is any less offensive? Will I be saying it’s okay? Will I be saying it didn’t hurt? Will I be denying the awfulness of it? Nope! Not at all. Will I be saying they deserve forgiveness? Do any of us?

I just know this, when I give forgiveness it sets me free. Free to love again. Free to trust GOD again. Free to live again. Forgiveness lets me take my rightful place. Forgiveness takes ME off the throne of my life and gives that place to He who deserves it. The One and Only JESUS.

Forgiveness takes my hands off the control button and with trust, faith and love yields justice to GOD’s Perfection alone.
Forgiveness says I love JESUS too much to hate you (the offender).
Forgiveness says, GOD, I trust You to do what’s right by me with this one who has offended me. It’s, I give way to You, My Heavenly Papa, to treat me right in the way You treat my offender.

In a word, forgiveness is me (and you) trusting GOD. Trusting that He has done right and He will always do right.  This is forgiveness whether we are receiving it or giving it. 

Again I say, it’s impossible for natural people! But we who have said yes to JESUS in salvation are no longer just natural people. We have the SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD residing within and we can forgive – all year-long!  (Romans 8:9)

How many times this year must I exercise this gift of forgiveness? 

Matthew 18: 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Master, how often shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”  22 Yeshua said to him, “No, not up to seven times, I tell you, but seventy times seven!  source. 

If we find ourselves doing the math, I think we’ve missed His point. 

Ephesians 4:32(KJV)  32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. source

Forgiveness.
In a word, it will make me whole and a whole lot more Christ-like. 

Selah ~ ~ ~ Kathie
1 John, Gospel of Matthew

Lets Be Mature About This

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Matthew 8:(TLV) 26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became totally calm. source

Reading this verse gave me questions. What are you afraid of? And why are you afraid? 
I think I shall make a list of the things I am afraid of.  I fear :) how long the list will be! 

1 John 4:18  (KJV) 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. source

And I say but in this mortal life I shall never be perfect and that is true but this perfect does not mean the perfect we so often conceive.
It means mature.
So as I grow up in love I will be less and less afraid. When I mature in the love I have for JESUS and mature in believing He loves me, I will be less and less afraid. That’s comforting! It’s doable too!

Chazaq! 

1 Corinthians, Gospel of Matthew, Psalms, Romans

At Least This Time

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Psalm 131 TLV 1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.

Adonai, my heart is not proud,
nor my eyes lofty,
nor do I go after things too great
or too difficult for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul—
like a weaned child with his mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in Adonai
from this time forth and forever.  source

Verse 1. Nor do I go after things too great or too difficult for me.

What is He saying?

First I was taken back to proud and lofty. The word arrogant came to mind too. What would entice me to go after things too great or too difficult for me? 

Pride.

So what are these things that are too great and too difficult for me? I suppose this could vary from person to person. But I can think of something even though varied would be the same person to person. 

Sin.

Sin is too strong for me. Once I begin to go after it, pursue it, it overwhelms me. It takes over. It consumes. It’s too great for me. Then it becomes too difficult. The weight of it. The penalty of it. It’s too much. Too much for me to bear.

So lets don’t! Lets don’t go after it. Don’t pursue it. Don’t make provision for it. (Romans 13:14) As to all those great and difficult things that are not sin; that do not have shame and guilt and evil and PRIDE attached to them, lets do go after them! 

Lets go after JESUS! Seek Him! When we do, more than you or I can imagine will be given to us. Great things. And yes difficult things too; but those difficult matters and circumstances become glorious things in His Hands. (Matthew 6:33. I Corinthians 2:9)

That’s it. That’s what I got from Psalm 131 – at least this time. :)

Chazaq!