the hurting hurt

‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to Me’, declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you’, says the LORD.’  Zechariah 1:3

 

Earlier this year, I wrote a post about ‘the hurting’

It was focused on a gentleman I happened to meet in the store one day. He shared some of his challenges that he experienced, and, in the course of sharing, he mentioned challenges he faced at work due to harassment from some people.

In that post, I noted: ‘… not all bullies mature and change – sometimes they just grow up to become bigger bullies’

I meant what I said – and still do

And I would never make an excuse for someone’s vicious behavior toward another human being. However, there is always another perspective – even when considering the meanness of people

 I am currently in school taking a behavior modification course

And, for some reason, my class assignment this week had me thinking of the hurting - not those who suffer hurt like the gentleman I met but those who do the hurting

I was reading a section of the book Behavior Modification where it notes “behavioral research with nonhuman subjects demonstrated that aggressive behavior and other emotional responses may occur when painful stimuli are presented …”¹

So what does that mean?

It means when a subject experienced a painful stimuli, that same subject lashed out. Further, the subject lashed out at one who was not responsible for presenting the painful stimuli. Their fury rested on the nearest target they could find.

This process is not unique to nonhuman subjects

It is true of human individuals as well

It is a well-established fact that hurt people hurt people

The first documented act of premeditated murder demonstrates this

Cain and Abel, the first brothers mentioned in the Bible both presented offerings to the LORD. Abel gave the fat portions from the firstborn of his flock and Cain gave an offering as well. And Scripture notes:

‘The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” Genesis 4:4-8

Our Scripture reference is lengthy today – please accept my apologies. But it is necessary to understand the whole story.

Rejection is a powerful and painful stimuli

Yet we must  each own our individual reactions

‘We are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires. Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.’ James 1:14-15

Giving birth to death – what a concept

Sin gives life to a life-taking source

Cain allowed his anger to fester, to mushroom and then to drive him to murder his own brother. But, understand, there is nothing to indicate that Abel actually did anything to Cain. So what was Abel guilty of? What was his great sin?

What did Abel do that was deserving of a murder sentence?

He was loved and approved of by the Father – that is all

Amazing isn’t it? 

What one small seed of rejection can blossom into when planted and cultivated. The sin of jealousy, bitterness and uncontrolled anger – will make one do the unthinkable. It will cause brother to turn against brother, child against parent,  husband against wife – created against the Creator.

What makes me believe that rejection played a role in Cain’s heinous acts?

When confronted with his sin and forced with facing the consequences of his action, his first thoughts and comments were this, “My punishment is more than I can bear … You are driving me from the land and I will be hidden from Your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.' Genesis 4:13-14

It was not until after he voiced words pointing to his concern of being separated from the LORD, that he made mention of his physical safety.

Hurt people hurt people

The hurting hurt others - sometimes

We cannot know for certain why Cain killed Abel or what motivated him

We also understand that not all people who have been hurt hurt others

Yet, sin is always crouching at the door – and we must master it

Cain’s sin against his brother was egregious

He killed his brother, caused grief for his parents and hurt the LORD

Yet the LORD – even after all this – still loved Cain

And He made provision for Cain’s protection.

What a mighty, loving and indescribably gracious God we have!

 

Today – I am praying

I am praying for those who have been hurt by those who are hurting

I am asking God’s hand of protection for those being plotted against

And, I am praying for the hurting who hurt others and themselves

I am praying they would have a genuine encounter with the LORD; one that would take them from feeling hurt and rejected to healed and restored

I am also praying for you.

 

Have a Blessed Day!

 

‘To all who mourn in Israel He will give: beauty for ashes;

joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness.’

Isaiah 61:3

 

¹ Miltenberger, R. (2016). Behavior modification principles and procedures. Cengage Learning.

forever enthroned

‘Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen’  

I Timothy 1:17

His birth would have meant nothing without His life and death

His death would have been meaningless without His resurrection

His purpose was fulfilled from the beginning,

            His task completed before it ever began on the earth

Jesus – the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world [Rev. 13:8]

Jesus – the Man who lived and died for all of humanity [John 1:29]

Jesus – the Conqueror who rose to life again [Heb. 12:2]

Jesus – the King who lives and rules eternally

            Seated at the right hand of the Father [Rom. 8:34]

I am thankful for His sacrifice every day of my life

There is no relationship with God Almighty without Him;

Faithful to His promise to never leave us, He sent His Holy Spirit

He is forever enthroned – in the universe and upon our hearts

We are not worthy; yet He esteemed us highly valuable

Today is just one more day to celebrate and give thanks

 

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

 

‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’

John 3:16

THE ULTIMATE GIFT

Good Morning

I pray all is going well with you this morning –

Happy Monday!

I had every intention of getting this post up first thing this morning

But then I got side-tracked …

I took care of a couple of chores and then decided to bake

            Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies for my guys … YUM!

This year has been particularly challenging – for my waistline

You see, I typically GIFT my baked goods

But I really do not feel like going through the hassle of packing and shipping

So, we have had a smorgasbord of treats –

Cookie assortments, bourbon balls, and cakes are up next (rum & red velvet for Christmas Eve)

It’s the most ‘calorie-filled’ time of the year!

But – treats are not the subject of our post today

GIFTS – and THE ULTIMATE GIFT in particular is the subject of our post today

I thought about this post as I was typing up one of the verses for yesterday’s post:

‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16

 

I was typing the verse from memory but then went to look at the actual text:

I had typed, ‘that whosoever believes in Him would not perish’. Yet, when I looked at the NKJV and KJV of the Bible, it notes, ‘… that whoever believes in Him should not perish …’

It seems a simple exchange, ‘would’ instead of ‘should’

But as I thought about it more, I understood why it said ‘should’

 

So – what does this have to do with GIFTS?

‘God so love the world that He gave …’

What did He give?

He gave us all an incredible GIFT

What was that GIFT?

‘… He gave His only begotten Son’

 Why did He give us this PRECIOUS, MOST ULTIMATE GIFT?

‘… that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’

 

‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’

 Jesus is the Indescribable and Ultimate Gift –

And, He was given so that none of the LORD’s creation should perish;

That none should have to spend a life on earth or eternity thereafter – separated from Him

But the truth of the matter is that many can and still will

You see, a gift not given, is no gift at all – kind of like my treats this year

But the LORD already tackled the issue of giving – He gave the very best gift He could

that Gift being Jesus

And Jesus keeps the gift-giving going by blessing those who believe with the Gift of the Holy Spirit [discussion for another day]

But the gift-giving is only part of the solution to the problem

Gift receiving is the second and critical portion of the equation

A gift not given is no gift at all

But, a gift given and not received – it is a gift of no effect to the recipient

If I am blessed with the ultimate gift but choose not to receive it, I am still gift-less

 

THE ULTIMATE GIFT

Understand – when it comes to the subject of salvation

While none should perish … many will perish because they refuse to accept the GIFT

 

‘If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ Romans 10:9

 

‘For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.’ John 3:17

 

‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’ Acts 4:12

 

‘For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.’ Ephesians 2:8

 

JESUS CHRIST – the indescribable, amazing and ultimate GIFT

And you do not need to wait until Christmas Morning to receive, open and enjoy this GIFT! 

Have a Blessed Day!

‘But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name,

He gave the right to become children of God’

 John 1:12

BLESSINGS THAT BAFFLE

Greetings Friends …

I pray all is well with you tonight - 

It has been a while since I’ve written

This has been a challenging year … to put it mildly

Yet, something gripped me today was I was listening to music and working

 

I was listening to a compilation of songs by Elevation Worship and Chandler Moore and in that video, they start singing a blessing:

‘The LORD bless you, and keep you,

Make His face shine upon you … and be gracious to you

The LORD turn His face toward you … and give you peace’

 

The blessing was not the part that gripped me.

I have prayed that same blessing many times – over my friends here

No – it was something else and not just the words of a verse

 

As they continued, this chorus resounded:

May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations,

And your family and your children and their children, and their children

May His presence go before you, and behind you, and beside you, all around you, and within you – 

He is with you, He is with you

In the morning and the evening,

In your coming and your going, in your weeping and rejoicing

He is for you … He is for you

 

And in an instant – I was completely overcome and undone

The words of that song took on such great depth and perspective

I suddenly found myself effortlessly transitioning from singing to praying … to crying; intense in prayer … in the natural and in the spirit

And even though I was the one praying – it took me by surprise

 

You see – today – I was not praying for myself,

I was not praying for my three sons

I was not praying for my dad or my best friend

I was not praying for my friends here

No – I found myself instead, praying with tear-filled eyes

            For every person who hates me

            For those who despise the very thought of me

            For those who have plotted and conspired against me

 

In the past – I have prayed for those who do not know Him

I have prayed they would have a genuine encounter with Him

And I thought I was doing something ‘good’ … because I could not bring myself to pray for the destruction of those who come against me –

But it is not enough to not pray for destruction

            There must be prayer for direction, for protection, for construction

 

Anyone in Christ is a new creation

The old is passed away … all things are new

II Corinthians 5:17

 

That is what was special and different about today –

I am not certain I can fully convey what transpired

Something snapped … in a good way!

I found myself keenly aware that – as I sang and cried and prayed –

As I made declarations for people who hate me…

Something profound was happening in the spirit, in the heavenly realm

 

I can pray for change in the world

But true change in the world begins with change inside of individuals

And that is only found in Christ

 

‘Bless those who curse you and do good to them that hate you …’ Matthew 5:43-47

 

BLESSINGS!

BLESSINGS THAT BREAK THE BACK OF CURSES

But my prayer is not just for an introduction or an encounter –

I was – and am – praying for the kind of blessings that chase you down & overtake you

The kind of blessings that surround you and envelope you

BLESSINGS THAT BAFFLE THE MIND!

 

May His favor be upon you as well my friends –

For your family, and your children, and their children, and their children

 

Have a Blessed Evening!

'TIS THE SEASON: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Good Morning,

Merry Christmas Dear Friends

It is finally here – Christmas Day has arrived

This is the day we celebrate THE COMING OF JESUS

               GOD with man –

EMMANUEL, God with us

God, through His Holy Spirit, forever residing within us

And while JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE GIFT –

It is a gift which only benefits personally, if we are willing to receive

Yet – make no mistake

While the birth of Jesus is a wonderful gift from the LORD

                The birth would mean nothing without the life, the death & the resurrection

You see – He was a baby born with one solitary mission

He was a baby born to die – a Son who was given to us,

That we might have eternal salvation & an everlasting relationship with God the Father

If you have received that wondrous gift,

You are very familiar with the true awe-inspiring wonder of this season;

If you have yet to receive the free gift of salvation,

There is no time like the present to receive this MOST GLORIOUS CHRISTMAS PRESENT

We are able to love, because He loved,

We are able to give, because He gave,

We are able to live, because He died,

We are able to hope, because He lives and reigns on high

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO HOPE

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO LOVE

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO GIVE

‘TIS THE SEASON – TO CELEBRATE JESUS CHRIST,

                Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Savior of the World

Merry Christmas!

‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son;

 that whosoever should believe in Him, would not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16

'TIS THE SEASON: EMMANUEL

Good Afternoon Friends!

I pray you have a had a great day

As I was preparing my post yesterday,

                                I went back and read some posts from Christmas Seasons past

In the process of that review, I came across a post I wrote in 2010

NOW – A great deal has changed in my life since that time

HOWEVER – One thing remains the same

The LORD is with us always

The LORD is with me –

He has stood, and stands and will forever be with me through every season

The LORD is with you

That is the meaning of EMMANUEL

‘The Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son and they shall call His Name Emmanuel [God With Us]’ Isaiah 7:14

I believe that is one of the most beautiful verses

This Christmas season – and always – it is so important to remember
          that HE IS INDEED WITH US

Here a few more verses to encourage your heart and remind us all of His loving presence:

This poor man cried,

and the LORD heard him

and saved him

out of all his troubles.

Psalm 34:6 NASB

Have not I commanded you?

Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous.

Be not afraid, neither be dismayed,

for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 AMP

It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer;

and while they are still speaking, I will hear.  

Isaiah 65:24 NASB

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8 NASB

Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

your walls are continually before Me.

Isaiah 49:16 AMP

God is always on the alert,

constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to Him.

You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help...

II Chronicles 16:9 MSG

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth

to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.

II Chronicles 16:9 AMP

The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers. O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear.

Psalm 34:7-9 AMP

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.

Psalm 34:15 AMP

God keeps an eye on His friends,

His ears pick up every moan and groan.

Psalm 34:15 MSG

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth

does not become weary or tired.

His understanding is inscrutable.

He gives strength to the weary,

and to him who lacks might

He increases power.

Isaiah 40:28-29

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

My Prayer For You Today:

The Lord bless you

and watch, guard, and keep you;

The Lord make His face

to shine upon and enlighten you

and

be gracious

(kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;

The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you

and

give you peace

(tranquility of heart and life continually).

Numbers 6:24-26 AMP

Have a Blessed Evening!