Jeremiah's school is run by Chester Holden, a mean-spirited superintendent with a skin condition. Despite Jeremiah's excellent work ethic—mopping up a sewage spill without complaint, picking up broken bottles the superintendent smashed—Holden wants him gone. (Google image, Peace Like a River)
One day, in front of all the students, he accuses Jeremiah of drunkenness and fires him. It's a humiliating scene.
How does Jeremiah respond? He could threaten legal action for unfair dismissal or make accusations of his own. He could slink away, accepting the injustice. Think for a moment what you might do.
"Love your enemies," Jesus says, "so good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27-28). These challenging words aren't meant to excuse evil or stop justice from being pursued. Instead, they call us to imitate God (v. 36) by asking a profound question: How can I help my enemy become all God wants him or her to be?
Jeremiah looks at Holden for a moment, then reaches up and touches his face. Holden steps back defensively, then feels his chin and cheeks in wonder. His scarred skin has been healed.
An enemy touched by grace.
Let's pray-
God, when faced with unfairness, injustice, or abuse, show me how to help my enemy move closer to You."
(Our Daily Bread post, 8/20/19)
126 - 130 of 200 one-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more this week-
126- Ps. 136:1 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
127- 2 Cor. 8:15 "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."
128- Rom. 12:18 "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."129- John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you ."
130- 2 Sam. 22:30 "For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall."
Today's quote-
~ Max Lucado- "You don’t pray just to let God know what’s going on. He’s way ahead of you on that one. You pray to transfer “my will be done” to “God’s will be done.” And, since he’s in charge, he knows the best solution. Prayer transfers the burden to God and He lightens your load. Prayer pushes us through life’s slumps, propels us over the humps, and pulls us out of the dumps. Prayer is the oomph we need to get the answers we seek. So, pray…today!"
From A Reminder of Who is in Charge
Words of wisdom-
~ The Lord wants us to see ourselves as he sees us. We're not to be discouraged by the difficulty of keeping our focus on Him. He is pleased with our desire to walk with Him through our life that's rigged to distract us.
~ The Lord's ways are much better than ours. He attires us with radiant garments, which He bought with His blood. Concentrating on Him is what counts, to have peace and love poured into our hearts.
Today's popular post-
Releasing Secrets, Restoring Hope
Gwen Smith shares with us, "For years my abortion story went untold.
It was a secret held tightly by a locked heart - my worst nightmare and darkest memory. Not something I wanted to talk about."
List of recent sermons of CFC ministers. CFC Potsdam NY church has a live service at 10 am Sunday's for shut-ins. If for some reason you can't make it to the church you usually attend, click on the above link, and still get fed!
Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage
Upcoming posts-
#15 Making an Impact on Our World
19th- Tuesday's post by Andrew Murray#16 Spiritual Building Blocks
21st- Thursday's post by Andrew Murray
Benefits of the Local Church
23rd- Saturday's post by Karen Friday
#17 Loving the Brethren
26th- Tuesday's post by Andrew Murray
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| Playing in the leaves |
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