Good morning dear friends in Christ!  Do you know your worth and value to God?  If So, Give understanding!  If not, gain understanding that God SO loved you, that He gave His only begotten Son to die; and be raised again for you, so that life could emerge in you.  Not just life as we know it, but far beyond this human life; eternal life with God!

1st we have to desire a life with God!  Lord have mercy, do we know and understand what this life with God looks like?  Do we see the love and understanding evident in this world; or do we see condemnation everywhere?  (Please see John 3:17, for Jesus come not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved from condemnation through Him).

John 3:17 Amplified Bible

¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him.

How about in our life?

How do others see the true spiritual nature of Jesus in our life?  Hey, it is not a sin to admit we all need Jesus.  :)  We all struggle with our human nature (Selfish Ambition and “Wanting-to-be-in-control” human emotions).  But, what this world needs to see is JESUS!

Self-Control is one of the evidences of the fruit of the Spirit.

Am I the only one who struggles sometimes?

I love to be honest with myself; and God loves me to be honest with Him.  God already knows my heart anyway! :) And, It is only fair that I am honest with myself to gain God’s perspective of my position … IF I really want to grow in a way that is pleasing God and fulfilling my duty to Him.  Honestly, being honest with myself in these challenges to my faith is where God teaches me the most; and where I grow!

Whose opinion is more important to us, our opinion; or God’s opinion?  Even when we see rights and wrongs in this world, God is still the Judge and our duty is to give understanding:

Are we allowing God’s transforming Holy Spirit to be [visible and believable] in the world that sometimes only wonders?  Can others see a legitimate true and living choice of life beyond what they know that is hurting them…through our gift of understanding and agape love?  We can give understanding, because we are grateful to God and know that prayer change everything!  Our duty is to fear God and love God and love others as ourself.

Our duty (the greatest command) is:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

 

We can LET our light shine for God’s Glory Alone!  Do you get God’s Patient Understanding when you make a mistake, because you just don’t know any better yet?  Or, do you get God’s forgiveness for the things God’s Spirit has convicted you of that are wrong?  Then, we can also give others understanding;as God gives to us.

When we give our understanding to others in this world as God has given unto us, we represent a life in Christ worth seeking!  Praise and Honor to God!

If we want to be like Jesus, we need to learn how Jesus lived!  Read the Bible as you Pray to learn!  God will answer you!

Jesus lives for us!  How does this example of Jesus look like in our own life for how we are living for others too?  Who are we living our life for?  Are we living for our own priorities; and freedoms to do what we want to do; or for God’s assignments to us to demonstrate self-control in the way we treat each other?   Considering others as ourselves; live a life revealing compassion, and understanding,  and hope, with forgiveness and mercy for all…through Jesus.

And, don’t worry about the sacrifices God asks you to make!  God will always provide a way out!!!  Yet, don’t forget WHY God assigns us missions throughout this life!  Trust God and Trust also in Jesus!

Jesus come down from Heaven to teach us how to live for God & and how to love; and even let us see WHOM love is.  How powerful is it?  …When we give our understanding to others; and Pause for the sake of Jesus to be seen through us; BEFORE we React / or speak out, based on human nature emotions alone.

Jesus knew who HE was; and Jesus knew HE was right, but STILL God acted through His HUMILITY in a powerful way! And, so can the Spirit of God work through you and me (in our sacrifices) today … for the common good of mankind.

What could our sacrifices look like today?

Take a look around you and pray, “Lord, How can I be a blessing to this person by giving my understanding to them; and doing this for them anyway, because I 1st do this for you?”  God will give you understanding; and the way to give understanding …

…Jesus is the Way to represent God; and Praise God that we can learn the true nature of God.

Jesus come down from the perfect place with God to teach us how to live with God in a sinful world; not to sin, but to bring us hope and a future; with purpose!

LIFE enables us to feel like we are alive, because in Christ we are!

Live life well!

Jesus is the True LIGHT of God to the world, whom fills us with LIFE that enables us to feel like we are alive; even in the challenges with others that are living life that it is of this world!  Life is with God.  Life is to experience and see something  worth hoping for in the darkness of things we don’t always understand, but meant to grow to bloom.  Just like the life is in the seed that is buried beneath the ground.  ………(confusion & doubt are not of God), but by faith we know we need Jesus, who helps us understand all we need to know to stay in step with the Spirit of God, who is the will of God sent to us to know God’s will for us to choose life and choose blessings that are set before us.

Deuteronomy 30:19 King James Version

¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

 

Jesus come to deliver us from the penalty of sin and to teach us how the helper from God is with us always!

The Holy Spirit was and is the power of God with us to help us!  The Holy Spirit was and is the helper to humanity; including to Jesus as He walked on this earth as a man to walk in the Spirit of God.

There is a Scripture on my heart that I am just now comprehending!  It has to do with die to self.  Yet, what does this look like in the life of Jesus; and what should this look like in our life with God?

The life is in the seed!

The Word of God is the Seed!

Seek God 1st; and LIFE is added!

Jesus holds the key to life and death!

 

Would you be interested to hear the truth, if God has a Way (and Jesus is) for you to experience feeling alive?

Friend, may I encourage you to seek God’s thoughts on everything -and learn the value of giving understanding to those who grind against you; you have to die to flesh to grow in the spirit of God.  What does this mean to you?

1st:  To me, it means keeping my mouth shut to 1)Pause in my emotion; 2)Ponder the Word of God; and 3)Pray in the Holy Spirit Before I speak!

Can you look up some examples in the Bible of when Jesus did this?

Jesus responded by the Spirit / not in his emotions; always!  He knew who He was; He knew what he was dealing with; and He knew what His mission for God was & is & is yet to come!  Jesus was Patient with those who dealt wrongly to Him.  Jesus prayed for them who persecuted Him.  Jesus loved those He died for.  Jesus loved me and you -and Jesus loves those still today, who we pray daily for (forgive me Father for my trespasses; as I forgive those who trespass against me).

Essentially, we pray,

Father God forgive me

(give me Your Understanding)

in the same way that I forgive  others…

(in the same way that I give my understanding to Others)

Oh Glory be to God!  The Ever-Increasing Wisdom of God!  Are you dying a little (to your flesh) each day? So that, you are growing this the spirit of God each day?  What does this look like in your life?

To me, I must die to my selfish & “wanting-more control to do as I please” [in the flesh] each day; to make room for God’s Spirit to grow in me to give understanding to those who just don’t know how their actions are rubbing against me.  This is the life in Christ, with Peace and Joy -To give Understanding, because God is patient with us all!

Bottom line, God loves us all!  Jesus died for these things!  And, Jesus is Alive and Has sent us a Helper:  The Holy Spirit!  Do you love God’s Word?  How much do you love God?  Do I love God enough to give understanding when I don’t feel like it …?  Yes, but I need the Holy Spirit to help me!

Hey, I am just being real and honest!  I need Jesus every day!  And, Jesus is so much stronger than me.  His love for mankind is my example I am to follow.  And, I need the Holy Spirit; so do we all.  And, We need taught about who The Holy Spirit is!  Ask God to teach you.  He will. :)

Honest examination of self:  Am I giving understanding?  Wow!  In spite of the benefits of LIFE with God, this is not a easy thing to give what in our human nature, we prefer to want be in control of.  And, even harder is when we notice what is right and wrong!  But remember who the JUDGE is.  The Judge is “Not I”.

Let’s get real for a minute:  Am I giving understanding [to those who do to me, what I would never do to them?].  This is the position we each face day to day -{big and small issues}, in the ways we treat each other.  But, the Bible says, “IF possible, as far as it depends on you, remain at peace with everyone…”, because, think about it, according to Creation, “I will do what you would never do…; and you might do what I would never do; but all that matters is what would Jesus do; and how would Jesus like us to respond to each other?

but all that matters is what would Jesus do; and how would Jesus like us to respond to each other?

As Eve ate the apple, we each have our own fleshly weaknesses.

How many times, have you thought, how in the world did Eve disobey God like that?  I used to think, “I would not have eaten the apple!”  But one day, the Spirit of God let me realize, “BUT I would have DONE SOMETHING ELSE!”  I wasn’t there in the garden facing the tempations that Eve faced.  Eve didn’t have the Bible to help her.  She didn’t have the Holy Spirit.  She had a pure relationship with God, but yet, she was human, just like me!  And, she and Adam sinned.  And, so HAVE I.

This is an example of Giving Understanding …

Today, Can we do better to give our understanding to those who “know not what they do”?  Jesus did!  So can we!

Yet, it takes the light of understanding to 1st come into the obedience of God! And, this is a miracle and the work of the Holy Spirit of God.  No credit to us, but all glory to God.  How grateful are we for our understanding?  Understanding that it is not the obedience to the law, but obedience to the Holy Spirit of God that keeps us in PERFECT PEACE!  Not so much to the rules and regulations, but to the the obedience of the Holy Spirit of God!  God’s ways are better than our human nature ways alone!  God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

And, as a bean sprout emerges from out of that seed, the shell falls off as the life inside grows; so must we die a little to self each day to grow a little in the Spirit of God every day.  And, then we see all the life that was contained inside of that seed!  The Word of God is the SEED!  Once life begins to grow in us, we should see plentiful harvest equipped in Christ to give understanding to all we meet.

Just as that bean seed grows in to a plant that produces many beans to eat; and able to feed many (all from that tiny seed); when a seed is sown in the Holy Spirit of God (a word spoken of encouragement or guidance); and when we give understanding; LIFE is all in the seed as life is just waiting to emerge and grow in whosoever will believe, because God gives life with purpose…

So is life in Christ in you!!!

With purpose

In closing, to give understanding, we have to gain understanding.  And this understanding is all about the love of Jesus.  Jesus is the One true light and we are to be the light of Christ to the world for the glory of God to be seen.

Now, I believe we can come into obedience to the Holy Spirit of God’s Mind; and roll our thoughts upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to HIM].  God will cause our thoughts to align with His will and thus our plans will be established and succeed.  Emphasis mine from Proverbs 16:3.

 

Matthew 5:14-16 Amplified Bible

¹⁴ “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I hope this is a blessing to you.  Holy Spirit, You are welcome here!

Love in Christ,

Karen Rowe

Hope in Today Ministries, Inc.

The Train Whistle, Sounding the call of God’s Love

1 John 4:16 Amplified Bible

¹⁶ We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.