My thoughts as of lately.

I’m sure everyone is getting tired of hearing about the Paula Deen situation, but it quite frankly stirs an anger in me because this world doesn’t know how to give grace. Despite where you lean on the situation, if you screwed up would you want people to forgive you? At the end of the day, people can kiss my b-u-t-t if they don’t like what I have to say. I don’t live my life to please anyone, nor do I need to explain myself, lime light or not. We’re accountable before God, not man. A big difference between man and God is that God can look at our deepest darkest more horrible sins and still forgive us. Man  on the other hand will knit-pick the heck out of the tiniest things and magnify them and hold them over our heads. Big difference. God>Man. Just saying.

Moving on… :).

On the bright side of things, I’ve been in my Bible again reading the book of John. I had to watch myself the other day because I tried to speed through my readings to make up for lost times. That’s a big no-no because after I read it I was like… “What did I just read…? O_o” If you’re just trying to read to cross it off your list, then your heart is in the wrong place. Soak it all in, even if that means only reading a little bit a day.

Well, I’m going to go relive my childhood through watching The Little Rascals on ABC Family :]. Have a blessed night everyone and don’t forget to tell people you love them.

– Ashley

True love.

Sometimes we wonder what God’s will is for our life, thinking it needs to be different for each person… so we wait in prayer to see what He says. We try to make loopholes around loving and forgiving others. If God calls us to do something, he doesn’t say “Well think about this for a while THEN if you feel like loving, forgiving, or working on that relationship… you can.” No, He tells us what love is and how to love. It may hurt and it may be difficult, but if we try to escape the pains of one relationship… you’ll only find a different pain in another.

A lot of us say… Well I can’t forgive them for what they’ve done or I can’t do this or that. That’s okay. Yeah, you probably can’t and God doesn’t expect you to. When you are unable He is ABLE. When you walk with the Holy Spirit and ask for what’s according to His will then He will give you the capability to love, forgive, and have joy once again. If faith can move mountains, then why can’t it take the bitterness out our hearts and lives? Do we truly trust in God that “we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength”?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

^^ This is true love. A love that Christ demonstrated for us, so with the Holy Spirit (His strength) we can love others like this. You can be as religious as you want, but if you have not love… you gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Working for your relationships with people isn’t easy, anytime you fight for something it takes hard work and tears. God doesn’t ask us to forgive others so we can be ‘good people’, He does it so we’ll have freedom. He gives us grace every day even though we’re sinful and yet we, being extremely FLAWED, act prideful as if we can’t forgive some people. Jesus always gave parables about people like this and a lot of fall under this category than we realize.

Matthew 18:21-35

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”