Love Those We Meet

There is much happening in the world today and it may feel like it is getting closer to home. It seems as though one must pick a side. You are not allowed to stand somewhere in the middle, to ask questions, or bring up thoughts and concerns that you may be having, but you must be on one side or the other. It reminds me of grade school where if you don't agree with the popular kids then they wouldn't be your friends anymore, you were out, you were made fun of, you were told that you were no good and you were made to feel like you had no value.

Growing up it was my understanding that as we grew into adults we would mature and out grow this childish discrimination, but at 48yrs I now see that unfortunatley this is not true. We still try to manipulate others into doing what we want, and into believing what we believe.

However, God created each and every one of us unique to see the world in different ways so that as His children we can share and inspire others, not critisize and pull each other down. How sad God must feel when He sees His children judging each other for being unique, instead of loving each other and sharing grace.

One day while spending time with Jesus I was reading and I saw something that I had not seen before. It was about sorcery and witchcraft. In the past whenever I had read about these I always had pictured magic spells and thought to myself, I have nothing to do with that. But then on this particular day I saw something else, I saw that sorcery and witchcraft have to do with controling another person, manipulating them or convincing them to go against their will, to do what you want even though they don't agree. It was one of those aha moments.

Think of the kids on the school yard who with-hold friendship and acceptance of other kids who don't follow them. Think of the wife who wants a new car (or something else) but the husband doesn't want the new car yet, he doesn't think the time is right. The wife gets angry, makes rude comments as often as she can get jabs in about a new car, or maybe she trys to be super sweet to convince her husband that she knows best, or maybe she withholds her love from him, etc. So eventually even though the husband still doesn't think the time is right he agrees because he loves his wife and he wants her happy and he wants peace back in the marriage. That would fall under sourcery as would the children in the school yard.

We often do this to those around us and we don't even realize we are doing it!

.....and do not let your people practice fortune telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or calls forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done those detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 18:10-13

God clearly throughout His Word tells us, His children, to stay away from anything to do with sorcery and witchcraft.

Sourcery, witchcraft, magic : ...aplication of beliefs, ritual, or action employed in the belief that they can manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces. Wikipedia

There is more to sorcery and witchcraft but the basis of it is trying to control another being, this is what part of the definition tells us.

God Himself has given us a free will and He allows us to make our own choices, even wrong ones. He never forces us to do anything. So how then could it be ok for us to try and take others free will from them?

We as christians should never manipulate others to conform them to our thinking by with-holding love or friendship, or by getting angry or by being rude to them. We need to remember to follow the example of Jesus, to love and accept those who are different from us.

Having different opinions is a good thing!

It is always fine to share our own opinion as long as it is done in love and as long as God is asking you to. However it is not ok to share your opinion expecting it to change the other persons opinion. Your opinion is yours and their opinion is theirs and it is ok for them to different. We need to love and accept each other for our differences.

It is never ok to withhold something from another for being different.

We grow when we open our ears and our hearts to try to see anothers point of view.

God loves each of us for our uniqueness.

We need to remember that we won't always get it right, and God knows this. We cannot be perfect or blameless before God but He has provided us with all we need because He loves us. He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins and when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour we are once again blameless before God through Jesus.

God loves us all that much!

My prayer for you is that you walk out into the world loving everyone you see, even if they don't follow what you are believeing, showing them the Love of God because we all have our own personal journies and you never know what another person has journied through to get to where they are today. Jesus loves each and every one of us and His last commandment was for us to go into the world and love those we meet.