Love your God and neighbor

“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How do you love someone you don’t even know? Well we do it all the time in relationships. We say we are in love so fast off what we think we will receive from the other person. But to genuinely love someone without wanting something in return is different. I’m talking about loving a person you barely know, but you know that if you are able to help them out you would. Doesn’t matter who it is you just know that what they are facing you can help them out in some way.

HERE IT IS…

How do you love someone you don’t know? Jesus knows EVERYTHING about you and still does for you. I mean EVERYTHING! The stuff not even your best friend knows. He still loves you and blesses you and holds you up. Keeps you safe and protects you. EVERYTHING! You don’t know this person at all and you can’t help/ love them. Despite everything you did God still loves you. You can show some of that love to someone else. I guess it helps if you get to know who loves you first though.

Practice

“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am not sure if this was intentional or what but in any case I will give God the glory for this.

Mondays scripture was about God blessing those who work for peace. Tuesdays scripture was about God blessing those who do what’s right. Wednesday was his anger last for a moment but joy comes in the morning. Today we see that God through Paul tells use to keep doing what we practice then Gods peace will with us. Did you miss it? Work for peace. Do what’s right. Know that Joy comes in the morning. If you do this you will be blessed and have peace.

HERE IT IS…

You get up every morning to go to work and provide for your family and make sure you have what you need with the anticipation and expectation of a paycheck. You do what you’re supposed to at work so you don’t get fired to continue have the money rolling in. Yet we have trouble doing what God asked us to do daily with PROMISES of blessings and peace and more. You go to work and do what’s right. You go to work and fight for what’s right. Even after a bad day you going in the next morning to try again.

Practice all you have learned and Gods peace will be with you.

Only One Night Tho

“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you know that some people still don’t know what morning is in a technical aspect? Literally at 12 AM you can say good morning. That literally 60 seconds can change the whole trajectory of your life. From 11:59 PM to 12:00 AM your situation can change. You receive more grace. More mercy. More strength. More joy. Because his anger last only for a moment, but his favor last a lifetime.

HERE IT IS…

This is the part everyone knows; “Weeping may endure (last through) for the night, but joy comes in the morning!” It’s hard to deal with this, but joy! I dont want to go through it, but joy! Why me? But Joy comes in the morning. We are not exempt from the trials and tribulations. The fact that we profess Christ as our savior places a target on us. No weapon FORMED against me shall prosper … But joy comes in the morning. 60 seconds and joy will come. Just wait until the morning.

Do the right thing

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Integrity –
the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
Have you ever got into trouble for doing the RIGHT thing? Someone was being falsely accused and you stood up for them? Someone was being mistreated and you stood in for them? Someone that was being taken advantage of and you made sure that person was not going to used anymore. But in the process of standing in the gap for that person you were arrested! You’re the one who got in trouble! You’re the one who was pushed away by that person.

HERE IT IS…

That is an unfortunate spot to be in. It is definitely not the way you saw the situation going in your mind. But you did what you seen and thought to be right. Sometimes in this world the right thing can almost feel like the wrong thing to do. God has you covered. God has seen and heard you. You did what was right and you continue to do what’s right because you are and will be rewarded and blessed for what you have done. If it’s right, even if it’s wrong, you do what’s right.

Perfect Peace

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“God just let me let loose on all these people one time, please?!”
I know I am not the only one that has asked God to remove the meek and gentle tongue controlling spirit from you for just a few minutes so you could tell some people what you really think. However, God knows us better than we know ourselves and he knows that our words would hurt more than others. Being able to say what you really want to say? Only Gods knows that your words could, would, and should result in a fight.

HERE IT IS…

I like this version of this scripture because of the vernacular it uses. KJV says “blessed are the peacemakers..” This version however puts it in a different perspective. “God blesses those who WORK for peace.” This is not just something that you do, but it’s something that takes time and care and dedication. Not everyone can do what you do. Not everyone can hold their peace and not lash out. Not everyone can walk away. Not everyone can stand and take what you do. Blessed are the peacemakers because it is work keeping peace. Keep working at it and your reward is coming.

Justice

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“No justice! No peace! Know Justice! Know peace!” A beautiful play on words and words that have been written, spoken, argued, exemplified, and yet the words have still stayed as that. Where it seems that even in 2023 there is no justice and no peace. Continually battling for lives all across the country just to be seen and heard and not viewed and unheard of. Devastating trials where the ones who are hired to protect and serve and carry out equal justice. Are the ones who are unequally serving communities. Not protecting those who are not like them. Being hired and not being fired for firing too many rounds.

HERE IT IS…

We don’t get justice and we don’t get peace. That doesn’t mean we have to stop pursuing our right for it. There has to be a hunger for it. There has to be a taste for it. There has to be a movement surrounding it. It will come to pass. It will happen. It is inevitable that knowing justice and knowing peace will be achieved. He is a God who reigns on the just as well as the unjust. No God, No peace. Knowing God Brings Peace.

Humble

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Humble – “having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.”
I saw someone say that they were never going to use this word again. Because of the definition of it resembles that of someone who lacks confidence and is a person who thinks very little of himself. To be honest I can see how they would obtain that conclusion. However, I would suggest that the definition of humble is one that is often unknown. We use what we believe it says. If we look at the definition of conceited we can see the difference.

excessively proud of oneself, vain.

HERE IT IS…

Imagine Jesus having the mouth of one of the most cocky, vain, arrogant, conceited people, whether they did it as a show or not. Imagine Jesus boasting about who he was. Imagine Jesus accepting money and gifts. Imagine Jesus saying, “I’m a bad man.” Imagine Jesus only healing for profit. Now, truth be told he would have every right to do that but the effect would not be the same. Jesus was humble not because he was less than or scared or timid. He wasn’t humble because he was trash. He was humble to show the people who felt that way that there is greater in them. I don’t need to be conceited for you to know who I am. I will be humble because I know I didn’t get here on my own.

Mourning to blessing

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Death is as much apart of life as birth is. The only way you are here is through birth. The only way you leave is through death. Experience of death while living is hard no matter who you are. Having to live on past someone that you felt you couldn’t see yourself without. Having to experience the loss of a person you love and care for knowing that you will not be able to communicate with that person again. Grieving the fact that you cannot see them again except in pictures and videos.

HERE IT IS…

God will bless those who mourn. God will be with you. God will strengthen you. God will comfort you. He will hold you and show you just how blessed you are. Death is apart of life and just like life it’s hard to deal with. But there is a savior who is able to comfort us. There is a savior who is able to hold us up. There is a savior who had to deal with death from all angles. He knows and can help you through it. He will comfort you and bless you.

Poor?!

““God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Poor –
worse than is usual, expected, or desirable; of a low or inferior standard or quality.
When we think of the word poor we assume we are talking in a financial context. We think we are saying that someone can’t make money to sustain a feasible lifestyle. Truth be told we have seen some of those days. But in this particular stance of the verse I would like to think that the position of poor is not of the financial kind. In fact I would think that poor is meant for those of us who are poor in faith. Poor in confidence. Poor in position. Poor in mental health. Poor in physical. You’re lacking or poor in some area of your life.

HERE IT IS…

The scripture says that “God blesses those who are poor AND realize their need for Him.” We all lack and are poor in some conditions of our life l. We all are poor in a way. In being poor you realize that you need help and ask for it. You don’t become prideful and continue in the same ways. No, you do not need to go out and beg for help. All you have to do is realize and ask God for the direction and guidance on what to do. God is just waiting on you to realize that you need his help in your poor situation. Because He has something better for you.

Conversing and vision

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I read the Bible now, compared to years ago. There are certain things that stick out to me. It’s kind of like when learning how to read goes to reading and comprehension of what you’re reading. This text has grabbed me in this way.
Conversing = Freedom
Proper Vision = Protection through Promise.

HERE IT IS…

In order to receive freedom there has to be communication and dialogue. In fact not one contract happens with out communication. My freedom is encapsulated through my communication with God.
Secondly, I have make sure that I am focused in the correct thing. If I’m not focused I may miss what is promised. It doesn’t mean that what was promised was denied. It means that what my focus was on led me in a direction that I missed what and where my promise was.

Conversing = Freedom
Proper Vision = Protection through Promise.