Being Thankful and Loving Everyone
These past few months have been an emotional roller coaster. One minute I would
be ok and the next I'd be in tears. But Thursday was almost by far the worse day.
Last year on Thanksgiving Day my Mama had a sparkle in her eyes and a smile on
her face sitting in her recliner ready to greet her visitors as they came in.
Little did we know that soon there after she would begin her journey home to be
with the Lord.
This past Thursday we went to eat with family as most did, and when everyone was
full they all began to mingle and visit with each other. I was looking around the
room and I saw someone wipping tears from their face and saw the same pain that I
was feeling. I wanted so much to go hug that person and tell them that I loved
them. But I did not go do it because I was afraid they would reject me cause I
don't think they like me very much.
So I came home to a crocker sack of peanuts that needed to be gone through and
stems pulled off and got ready to boil. As I was going through them I began to
cry a little harder then I already was.
You see I don't know what kind of blessing I let FEAR and REJECTION stop and this
person from getting.But God used it to also show me that even though she and I
were hurting we were not the only ones that there were many out in the world that
were feeling just like we did.
He then began to show me the things that I have that I needed to be THANKFUL for
and blessed with.So I had to start thanking him for all that and even the pain that
I was feeling.
I had to ask him to forgive me for being blinded by my hurt and thanked him again
for where I come from and been through and where I am going with him in my life.
So I want to challenge each one reading this to do something different,strang, out
of the ordinary.
We all celebrate Thanksgiving on the day that is on the calendar for us to do it.
When in reality as Christians we should do it every day of the year ... We are
none promised tomorrow or even the very next minute.
I want you to tell someone that you are thankful for them and why or what they
did ...
Go to that Mama and Dadday that raised you right or tried and you chose the path
you took and say Thank You
Go to that Spouse and say you know I thank you for picking up behind me
Anyone that has inspired or encouraged or loved you should be told and not just
assume that they know it ...
We take people and things for granted so many times.
I bet when you were dating and felt like you were madly in love that if you
left that place without tellin that person that you loved them you were in
big trouble? And now if you have children in your family and when they came
along and you never told them you loved them and one day someone did they
wouldn't know what you were talking about.
The subject of all this is Being Thankful and Loving Everybody.
Mark 12:30-31 says
30.AND THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL
THY SOUL,AND WITH ALL THY MIGHT, AND WITH ALL THY STRENGTH:THIS IS THE FIRST
COMMANDMENT.
31. AND THE SECOND IS LIKE, NAMELY THIS, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHTBOR AS THYSELF.
THERE IS NONE OTHER COMMANDMENT GREATER THAN THESE.
So here we see that we are to Love the Lord OUR God with all of us, not just part
of us.
That means that you have to give him all YOU have not just part or you or what you have.In
prayer,bible study,reading or anything you do for his Glory it has to be
your full attention, your full emotions, your full being.
If you are reading and the phone rings let it ring that is yours and God's Time.
That goes for anything you do for him you should not let anything stop or come in
the way of what he has put for you to do.
The next part said to Love your neighbor as yourself... Do you Love yourself?
Do you let the way you look or things you have done stop you from loving yourself?
If so then you have to start by making things right with people that you have
wronged and then make it right with God. But God says make it right with him first
and he will make it easier to make it right with the ones you have wronged.
Our paths maybe bumpy and curvey but with God on our side we can make it through.
No matter what path you have gone down wheather by your choice or circumstance the
Lord will always be there with you and know that you are going down that path cause
some where down the road someone else is gonna feel just like you and need to know
that they canmake it.
I know now your saying but I am the one that was wronged and you want me to look
in a mirror and love me ? I am hurt,shattered and broken
YES you can go to God and ask him to heal your heart so that you can learn to love
or become close to others again.
Besides he just told us that you gotta LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. Who is your neighbor?
Everybody is your neighbor.
You may still be asking how do I love EVERYONE?
John 13:34 says
34. A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER; AS I HAVE
LOVED YOU, THAT YE ALSO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
And here again he tells us that the new commandment he gives us is to Love one
another as he has Loved us.
I don't know about you but he love me an awful lor. John 3:16 says He loved us
so much he gave his only son to die on the cross for our sins and us to have
eternal life. Then the Son Jesus gave us his own life .. so to me that is pretty
much selfless love.
That is how we are to Love with out thinking of ourself but thinking of others
first. But we must do it with a whole sencere heart. Not one that has a motive
or one that is just doing it out of action and not emotion.
And those that we find hard to love God says we are to Love our enemies, do good
to them which hate us. To Bless those that curse us and to Pray for those that
despitfully use us. That verse is found in LUKE 6:27.
So from todays lesson I want you to see what God showed me in all my tears and
peanuts Thursday afternoon.
Sometimes we really,really,really have to let go of things that people say or
do to us. Even, if it isnt your fault and you have done nothing. You have to let
it go, so that the Love that's in your heart is not cased inside and waxed cold.
We can not love everyone if we don't allow our hearts to feel the joy,love,pain
and all other emotions that come.
Once we begin to pull away from people ofrbecome afraid to help those in need or
hurting we are letting ourselves not love God with a WHOLE HEART.
So I challenge you each to examine your heart and see if you Love the Lord with a
whole heart,spirit,and mind? See if you Love yourself? See if you Love your neighbor
and your enemy?
My question to you is if you find that you said no to any of these then maybe you
need to check yourself and ask the Lord to clean your heart and help you begin ......
SO CAN YOU NOT LOVE YOUR GOD,YOUR SELF,YOUR NEIGHBOR AND YOUR ENEMY AND STILL GO TO
HEAVEN?
This is the lesson I gave in church Sunday Morning.
Teresa Oakes Nov. 2009
