Need a Beating

Hello, all. Hope you are well. Go have your coffee if that's your thing and come on back when you finish. Today's excerpts come from the category of Sin and Confession (W.O.W. created w.o.w.). No more preliminaries, no more niceties, let's jump right into it; shall we? When I hear of the violence being perpetrated against individuals and cities by terrorist driven individuals, it makes my blood boil with righteous indignation! I find myself thinking that I would like to beat the tar out of perpetrators of such. I find myself thinking, "That is what they deserve!" Have you found yourself thinking along those same lines, lately? I mean most of you have. How could you not?

Then, that voice that we do NOT want to hear speaks up and says, "Now, Christian person, where is the love of the Lord in that line of thinking? Hm-m-m?" And yet, an opposing voice speaks up and says, "They know better! They need a beating! They need a good old fashioned caning, hide tanning; they need..."

Stop that. I know that you get angry, and some of you are angry still! I don't like it either! Yes, I want to retaliate, too. BUT, what do I want more? Vengeance or to please the Lord? I know; I know;  you'd rather not hear the previous words just now. But the voice of reason says that we cannot go through life pummeling everybody that does us wrong. If we retaliate in such a manner, what is the difference between the perpetrators and us? We, as Christians, are supposed to be different, you know.

I tell you one thing. I keep my knees worn out with my prayers and supplications. Yes, I want vengeance; I want satisfaction. Yeah, I can tell that I have stirred some of you up, big time. That's okay because it is when you are most stirred that you can be driven to action. I just want to drive you to positive action.

Here are three things that I want you to think about:

1. "He beareth not the sword in vain." Ever heard those words? Let the various governments do their job. Just saying. I know that I am touching raw emotion; I know and I know, it hurts. And I know that when we hurt, we want to hurt back. I know that. How? Those same emotions and the need for justice run through my psyche, too.
2. "Vengeance is Mine." Uhm hum-m, I see that that makes you squirm a bit.
3. The last point I want to make: have you ever done anything wrong, something so egregiously wrong that you could just about not forgive yourself? Uhm hum-m.

I will let the following poems from our book, W.O.W. created w.o.w. speak on the three things mentioned above.

Wrong Done

Going around and having ill will toward someone

Is not going to accomplish anything

So why not let bygones be bygones

And maybe a soul to Christ, you will bring.

Remember, it is not about the wrong

Done to you or me

It’s about a heavenly habitation…

A place to spend all eternity.

If someone has wronged you and

You can’t get over the deed

Just do what Jesus did and

See a soul in need.

You have had to be forgiven

For things you’ve done yourself

They why do you feel justified

In withholding that blessing from someone else?

Col. 3:13

1.     Define habitation.

2.     What is the theme of this poem?

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Cleaning Up Messes

Cleaning up messes that you make

Can be harder than you think

Because some messes in life, expand

Much farther than the kitchen sink.

Soap, water, and degreaser will cover

Most messes that you make in your kitchen

But please, forgive me, made a mistake and I forgive

Are often, from conversations, missing.

Matthew 18:22

1.     What is the message of the poem?

2.     This poem can be likened to what?

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Final Judge

When people make mistakes

As humans are prone to do

It behooves us all to remember

That we make mistakes too.

I can’t say that I never made a mistake

That just would not be true

I just get up, dust myself off

And keep trying, to GOD, to be true.

I try to live my life to please

The Being who dwells inside of me

For HE is the final JUDGE

Of where I will spend eternity.

2 Peter 3:3-4

************

Mercy

I am glad that I have not

Been dealt with as I deserved

I am glad that justice was tendered

With mercy and that is what I was served.

Make no mistake; it still rankles when my

Thoughts dwell on wrongs done to me

But, I remember that I was given

A generous helping of

Mercy.

Doing What I Can, While I Can,

Alma Jones

Aside - The blue highlighted verse was penned just for your reading today.

Aside 2 - "Everybody loves a winner, but when you lose, you lose alone." I want to be on the winning side, the LORD's side. And I know that you do, too.

Y'all continue to be blessed as we strive to make it home.