My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1: 19-27 (NIV)
When you have come through the trials, you have come home to God, you begin to look at life differently. You know that there is someone who loves you unconditionally, it makes it easy to love others. I live by the policy that everyone has a love tank, and it needs to be filled on a regular basis. This means everybody, I have a hard time with this as there are some people who make it difficult to be Christ-like. You just have to remember that Jesus loved everyone, even those who were perscuting Him and hung him on the cross. His final words, "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." Not forgive the ones who listened and changed, but all of them. Jesus took the time to listen to the woes of those who came to Him, he spoke kindly to those who listened, and His anger shown was justified but short and slow. If we could follow these three things when we are with others Christians or not, we will in that moment fill their love tank just a little bit. They will knows us by our love to be Christians, not our deeds, not our prayers, and not our words. Though those surely help. We are not religion, we are the Church.
Yours in Christ
Heather
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