Setting Boundaries

                                                

*Image taken from Wikipedia

Adapted from the KJV devotional.

"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"; Matthew 5:44 KJV

Easier said than done! What does it take to forgive someone and love them despite of what they have done to us?

"When Jesus says to love your enemies, does that mean allowing them to continually abuse you, maltreat you, or claim access to your life? Jesus Christ specifically gave us healthy tips on how to show God’s agape love to our enemies: to speak blessing upon them when they curse us, to pray for them that use us and persecute us, and to do a good thing for them when they are in need, even if they hate us.

We can powerfully show God’s love with healthy boundaries toward our enemies. Loving them doesn’t mean allowing them to step all over us or abuse us. (But it also means we do not retaliate)."

Sometimes saying “no” and setting boundaries is a struggle because we feel guilty of being unloving towards others. But boundaries often equal agape love and we must find the courage to set such boundaries. Agape also sets up a boundary to their negativity to us and opens a channel of our love to them. Thats the only way one can overlook hurt or insults thrown at us and continue to love.

"But, when your enemy is in need, don’t hesitate to offer help. When your enemy is troubled, offer a prayer and sympathize with their pain. And continue to speak good things about them even if they curse you and say all kinds of negative things. By doing this, it shows that you are truly God’s child! Let God’s agape love saturate you today!"

"Prayer point: Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me how to love. Thank You for Your words that have so much wisdom in application. As I grow to walk in God’s agape love, especially for my enemies, may my life bring You glory and honor. In Jesus’ name. Amen".

A SIMPLE REQUEST

                              

Starting with 12 followers 2000 years ago, Christ has a following of more than 3 billion people today. This is unprecedented growth.

So how did it happen?

The simple answer is sharing the peace. Sharing the spiritual and the physical blessings, sharing Gods word and sharing strife.

And that is our mandate even today.

Sharing God's word doesn't always mean evangelizing to people from other faiths. Sometimes, it means getting together with other believers and strengthening each other as well. 

Today, we have one simple request to make of you, our reader: participate with us and share these posts in your Christian friends circles. 

“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”

Someone, somewhere needs to hear God so please help us to spread the word as far and wide as possible.

God Bless you. 

An Accidental Human

Today we will share a short story, based on our post of yesterday, where we talked about how we, as individual humans, can carry the love from God that we have received, the sacrifice of Christ and the daily guidance of the Holy Spirit, and can make sure we get up each morning, filled with the vigor of knowing our duties for the day, as outlined by God. 

This story was shared by a person, whose age I cannot determine, and whose nationality can be that of anyone and whose name does not matter. This story was written during Covid days, reflecting the pain, failures and setbacks of those times, of all those youth, students and young workers who got stranded without jobs, food or shelter. This story is also an ode to all those Human Angels who chipped in and made sure we all got through. 

So, without further delay, here is the story, and we hope it encourages each one of our readers to be running for God when that sun comes up every day. Click anywhere in this para and read. 

The Lion & The Gazelle

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle—when the sun comes up, you’d better be running."

In the jungle at dawn, all the animals get up and get to work. The gazelle knows it must outrun the fastest leopard or be eaten, and the leopard knows it must outrun the fastest gazelle or go hungry.

Like them, with each day of blessed awakening, a Christian must also revive and run. He or she must put on the armour of God, and run from temptation, concerns, fear of sickness, troubles, financial burdens, temptations - all of which wear us down, and just as the lion wears down its prey till it succumbs, so does the world and its diverse temptations and troubles, as they wear down our resistance to overcome. 

The only way we can overcome is to renew and revive every morning with time devoted to conversing with God, reviewing our life, asking our questions to gain understanding so that we do not follow a blind faith and weak faith, but a faith based on understanding, knowledge and experience. Every day is a new day and every day we learn something new from His word. Every day we have new experiences which can wear us down or push us up and we need His word to renew us with understanding and wisdom.

Rev Francis Taylor sums this up well when she writes -

"Life is always going to throw hardships at us. Some will shake our faith and there will be those who will say that these hardships mean either that there is no God, or that God has abandoned us. Not true. God is with us in the difficult times. As with the early Christians, we need to stand firm and persevere in our faith, knowing that God will never abandon us. All we need to do is call upon him".

"10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God".

Charitable Thinking:

                                                         

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing".

While Charity is one of the underlying principles of Christian life and Christian love, we seldom stop to "think" charitably. And if we cannot think charitably, how then can we act charitably?

Thinking charitably is like planting seeds of kindness in the garden of your mind. It’s about nurturing thoughts that bloom into actions of compassion and understanding. Imagine each charitable thought as a tiny spark that ignites a chain reaction of goodwill. In relationships, Charitable thinking encourages interpreting someone’s statements, acts or behaviors in the most rational and positive way possible. 

When we think charitably: We see the world through a lens of empathy, understanding that everyone has their struggles. We do not judge. We do NOT build our castle by digging someone's grave! 

We find joy in lifting others up, not bringing them down. Charitable thinking fosters productive dialogue, encourages understanding, and helps us form stronger relationships.

Some easy ways to develop charitable thought are: 

1. Avoid Negativity: Instead of attributing negative qualities to someone’s argument, statement or act, seek a coherent and reasonable understanding. This can be done by -

2. Exercise Empathy: Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Try to understand their situation and feelings without judgment.

2. Journalize Gratitude: Write down things you’re grateful for every day. This can shift your focus from what you lack to the abundance you have.

3. Practice Generosity: Share what you have, whether it’s time, resources, or skills, with those who might benefit from them.

Charitable thinking isn’t just about grand gestures; it’s about the small, everyday choices that add warmth to the world.

In Case You Missed: Karma or Grace?

Karma or Grace

The concept of Karma has become a byword in the lives of people today. Knowingly or unknowingly, directly or indirectly, we start believing in it. 

One of our more popular posts from the past clears the air on Karma and grace. You can read it HERE

https://thisweekwithjesus.blogspot.com/2023/09/karma-or-grace.html