Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
This life isn’t about what we can do for ourselves or selfishly using others for our own interests. It’s about helping each other get to where we need to be. We all want the same thing, to be happy & accomplish our goals. To eventually raise our children in a good healthy environment.
I believe when given the opportunity, we should help others. I have found it makes me feel a lot better when I’m able to do even the smallest of things for someone & maybe make their life a little easier or better. How awesome would it be if we had a community, or even a world full of us helping one another? Let’s help each other succeed.
Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others.
Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
It saddens me when I see individuals or “hate groups” blame God for evil done in this world. God is love & I imagine all the evil saddens Him as well. There is no greater love than the love that God has for us. Such a great love that He gave His only Son to die for our sins. God wants us to overcome evil with love. Share love today.
We can’t control how others treat us, but we can control how we react. It’s easy to want to get even with someone who has wronged you, but God says to leave it to him to avenge evil. Getting revenge may seem like a temporary good feeling, but in the long run it will leave you feeling sick inside. Be at peace & focus on those that love you & lift you up. Don’t allow wrong doers space in your head.
Romans 12:17 Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Every single day, our lives are filled with opportunities to connect with others in meaningful ways. In times gone by, neighbors were friends who chatted over the backyard fence, played board games on Saturdays, mowed each other’s lawns, and borrowed sugar and eggs. Today we are surrounded by people all the time, yet we exist in a world where we share a mutual unspoken expectation to keep to ourselves. We have separated ourselves from our fellow humans into a world of isolation and superficial contact. Yet we are commanded to love our brother as ourselves.
What would happen if we defied that isolating expectation and began to notice those we interact with? What could happen if you looked the cashier at the grocery store in the eyes with a smile and asked, with genuine care, how his or her day was going?
God has hardwired us to need one another, to respond in kindness, and to crave community. Somewhere along the line, the church seems to have lost that concept, or at least the fullness of the concept. Paul says in Romans 12:4-5, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” We are to be as one. Yes, we are hardwired by God to crave community!
Look around. Who have you trained your eyes to ignore out of discomfort, or even because of things deemed too painful to consider? Those who are different from us (this may include those who are homeless, those who are prostituted, those with disabilities, or those from a different ethnic or socioeconomic background) are sometimes the ones we are most comfortable blinding ourselves to. Yet they are the ones most in need of being seen.
God has promised that His grace is sufficient. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) He has equipped us to see even those we may be afraid to notice. But they need you. And believe it or not, you need them.
Lord, open our eyes to see those you’ve called us to see today. Help us to step out of our comfort zone and look beyond ourselves. Help us to see your passionate love for others in such a way that we are compelled to love in the same way you have loved us.
“Love your neighbor, all of ’em.” -Christine Clarity McDonald
Christine has assisted with writing legislation for Federal block grant dollars to states for substance abuse.
Perspective truly is everything. As you read, give yourself permission to alter your perspective. Give yourself permission to imagine for yourself a very different childhood, leading to a very different teen stage, and landing you in a very different adult world.
We have desensitized ourselves to only consider a person’s current behavior, passing judgments on them for the random snapshots we see rather than considering the whole scope of their life. If we dig deeper to see the humanity of our fellow brothers and sisters, perhaps we will walk away with better ways to help and serve that demonstrate the genuine love and compassion we carry for them in our hearts.
Maybe you can’t do much about economic exploitation or repressive political policies. But you can listen with love, lend a helping hand, share a meal, and speak an affirming word. So can I. That may not seem like much. I mean it’s not a cure-all for man’s inhumanity to man.
But if we can make just one person’s load lighter, one person’s dream a little brighter, if we dare to give into goodness now and then, then maybe, just maybe, someone else will be inspired to try goodness too. And who knows what might happen then.
“Love your neighbor, all of ’em.” -Christine Clarity McDonald
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 Peter 3:7-8 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
According to Islamic law, a husband may strike his wife for any one of the following four reasons:
– She does not attempt to make herself beautiful for him (ie. “let’s herself go”)
– She refuses to meet his sexual demands
– She leaves the house without his permission or for a legitimate reason
– She neglects her religious duties
Any of these are also sufficient grounds for divorce.
In the birthplace of Islam, about half of Saudi women are beaten at home.
“Hands and sticks were found to be used mostly in beating women, following by men’s head cover and to a lesser extent, sharp objects.”
I’ve seen this happen to women in Islam. It’s better to suffer at the hands of their husband than their society. It’s horrible how women are treated.
Muslim apologists say Muhammad ordered women not be harmed. But they are actually basing this on what he said before or during a battle. The example is in Bukhari (59:447) when Muhammad issued an order for all the men of Qurayza be killed and the women and children be taken as slaves. (Having your husband murdered and being forced into sexual slavery apparently doesn’t qualify as “harm” under the Islamic model).
There are a number of cases in which Muhammad did have women killed in the most brutal fashion. One was Asma bint Marwan, a mother or five, who wrote a poem criticizing the Medinans for accepting Muhammad after he had ordered the murder of an elderly man. In this case, the prophet’s assassins literally pulled a nursing infant from her breast and stabbed her to death.
After taking Mecca in 630, Muhammad also ordered the murder of a slave girl who had merely made up songs mocking him. The Hadith are rife with accounts of women planted in the ground on Muhammad’s command and pelted to death with stones for sexual immorality. The prophet of Islam actually encouraged his own men to RAPE women captured in battle.
In short… In summary, according to the Qur’an, Hadith and Islamic law, a woman may indeed have physical harm done to her if the circumstances warrant, with one such allowance being in the case of disobedience. This certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives, only that Islam permits them to do so.
RELIGION OF PEACE…. MY ASS!!!
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
What good comes from bitterness & anger? It not only affects the people you are showing these acts towards, but it holds you back & keeps you from peace & God’s blessings. Being angry & bitter won’t fix anything, but love & forgiveness will. Let go & let God!
Hebrews 12:14-15 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.
Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Proverbs 3:30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.
This life isn’t about what we can do for ourselves or selfishly using others for our own interests. It’s about helping each other get to where we need to be. We all want the same thing, to be happy & accomplish our goals. To eventually raise our children in a good healthy environment.
I believe when given the opportunity, we should help others. I have found it makes me feel a lot better when I’m able to do even the smallest of things for someone & maybe make their life a little easier or better. How awesome would it be if we had a community, or even a world full of us helping one another? Let’s help each other succeed.
Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others.
Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Have an unselfish and helping weekend my friends!!!
It saddens me when I see individuals or “hate groups” blame God for evil done in this world. God is love & I imagine all the evil saddens Him as well. There is no greater love than the love that God has for us. Such a great love that He gave His only Son to die for our sins. God wants us to overcome evil with love. Share love today.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one & only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
We can’t control how others treat us, but we can control how we react. It’s easy to want to get even with someone who has wronged you, but God says to leave it to him to avenge evil. Getting revenge may seem like a temporary good feeling, but in the long run it will leave you feeling sick inside. Be at peace & focus on those that love you & lift you up. Don’t allow wrong doers space in your head.
Romans 12:17 Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Featuring Christine Clarity McDonald
