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Love,
Trish
Albert Schweitzer
I know how the fibro pain is and it seems like there is no hope and it is depressing to be in pain all the time. At least you know there are lots of us out there! You aren't alone by any means.I hope things settle down for you soon and life gets better.
May 20
The Power of Love
Today’s verses teach that love does not “rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth." This means believers aren’t to dwell on another man’s wrongs and give up on him as a hopeless, despicable criminal. Love enables us to hate the evil unjustly visited upon the innocent while valuing the one who committed the act. More simply, we hate the sin but love the sinner.
In spite of everything that seems apparent about someone who’s been driven to sinful actions, God has created him or her with the potential to be made into something good. Outwardly, it may seem as if substandard upbringing, poor treatment, or negative influences have corrupted a person’s morality and worldview beyond repair. For such individuals, the capacity to love and rise above cir****tances can get buried so deep that it may seem nonexistent.
God still considers the most evil and corrupt person worth saving. How do I know this is true? Because in the first verse we teach our school children, He said that whoever believes in God’s Son will haveeternal life (John 3:16). Many of us are guilty of thinking we deserveHis love because we look so good compared to unlovable kinds of people. God doesn’t work that way. He loves every single person, no matter how awful his or her sin may be.
God doesn’t want anyone to mistreat others; such sinful action will bring repercussions or divine discipline. But the Lord does extend His care, His mercy, and His salvation to anybody who wants it. He keeps no record of wrongs. He loves without conditions. And He wants us to love in the same way.
Albert Schweitzer
I am also struggling with some depression and discouragement. I am tired of the pain dictating my life, and don't see that changing permanently ever. I am trying to do meditations and visualization exercises to try to alleviate it, but still need pain meds which jeopardize my recovery, because nothing else works. I can't take Ibuprofen or Aleve, because of my gastric bypass surgery, and the nonnarcotic alternatives don't make a dent. I don't want to end up in rehab again, but I can't deal with the constant pain. I have cancelled my therapy appointments because of the pain, because it is a long drive. I started with my therapist 21 years ago, and can't change therapists because of trust issues.
Sorry to whine. I am having a rough time this week. Plus, I just wish my daughter and her husband would get to the point where they ask me to move to Michigan to help with the kids. I have suggested moving to Michigan, and my daughter has basically told me I would not like living in their small town, nor would I fit in, because I am a political liberal, and socially liberal, and they have a very conservative town, with conservative family members out there. I always get along with her in-laws, and would be able to adjust to life out there. I have offered to be her full time daycare, as I love my grandchildren, and she thinks I should be working. I am waiting for a part time job to start, but I could get a part time job out there if I wanted to as well. My early retirement on disability has my kids upset, because they are concerned about me being too young to retire, and don't want to see me bored, which I am not.
I could go on and on, but I won't.
Hugs,
Trish
Albert Schweitzer
Hugs,
Trish
Albert Schweitzer
May 19
Impossible Love Made Possible
When a lawyer asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind," and “the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’" (Matt. 22:37, 39). What an overwhelming assignment!
In our own strength, none of us can live up to this obligation, but the Lord has provided a way for Christians to do the impossible. The indwelling Holy Spirit works to produce His fruit in us, and first on the list is love (Gal. 5:22). In fact, the other eight qualities are really just descriptions of its expression.
Whenever we demonstrate kindness, patience, or gentleness, we see the Lord’s love at work through us, especially when the other person has been unkind and doesn’t deserve such pleasant treatment. This fruit is not produced by trying harder to muster good will toward someone who is irritating or hard to get along with. Instead, think of the process more like sap running through a branch on a grape-vine. The branch doesn’t make grapes; the sap does. In the same way, the Spirit flows through us, producing God’s love in us, so that we can pass it on to Him and others.
Agapelove is the reason we are able to care for someone who mistreats us—it’s God’s doing, not ours. Even the adoration we offer the Lord is not something that we can produce in our own heart apart from His assistance. Though the command to love is enormous,God’s grace makes it possible.
Albert Schweitzer
Stacy B. · 8 replies · 983 views
