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Saturday, February 28, 2015

PPF: Amazing, Inconceivable Love!

 Here are some splotches of paint on canvas.
I'm hoping they will turn into something like below,
but better!

 "Whoever is angry with someone will be liable to judgment." Matthew 5:21
Whenever I search my heart about this, I think, oh there is no one I am angry with. No one at all. There's no one I want to kill. But anger starts with small things like being irritated with my husband when he used to leave the toilet seat up when we were newly married. I was too ashamed to tell him, because I come from a family of 4 girls and one boy, and the seat was never left up. I thought it was the height of depravity! I bore it for 2 years until I could bear it no longer. By that time, I was ready to leave him. Kidding!
We should not wait to root out irritation. A small, absurd thing can build up and even provoke murder. 

 On May 29, 2007, a 29 year old young man was shot dead by the security guard while singing "My Way" off-key with the karaoke machine. There have been at least 6 killings and many more fierce fights fueled by the singing of that song in the Philippines. In Thailand, a man killed 8 of his neighbors because they repeatedly sang, "Take Me Home Country Roads"!!! And how about the results of road rage? Anyone wanted to kill anyone while stuck in Wednesday's People Power traffic?
We should be aware of little irritants in order to root it out. We should not allow it to fester until it becomes a big wound that needs a doctor's intervention. Yes, little irritants can grow into a dangerous thing. That's why Jesus said, "You shall not kill...but I say to you, whoever is angry with your brother will be liable to judgment...be reconciled with your brother."
Is there any irritation in your heart that needs uprooting? Don't let it grow into a tree!

 "Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion and turn his heart..." Esther C:24
There are additions in the Book of Esther that are found in my Catholic Bible that I could not find in other versions. The verse I found interesting today is found in Esther C:12-25 (inserted Chapter 4). "Queen Esther, seized in mortal anguish, had recourse to the Lord. She lay prostrate upon the ground together with her handmaids, from morning till evening..."Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion," she prayed.

Esther was a Jewish orphan, raised by Mordecai, and because of her beauty, was chosen by King Ahasuerus to replace his recalcitrant Queen.When the Jews were going to be annihilated by order of Haman, the contemptible, proud, right hand man of the King, Mordecai advised Esther to plead on their behalf.
Before doing so, Esther together with her handmaids, interceded the whole day and night. She asked God to save them and teach her what to say. Her prayer lasts from verses 14 to 30, and concludes with, "From the day I was brought here till now, your handmaid has had no joy except in You, O Lord God of Abraham...Deliver me from my fear."

Queen Esther was rightly afraid of going before the King.She tells Mordecai that anyone who goes before the King without being summoned suffers the automatic penalty of death. (Esther 4:11). We all have to confront fears in our life. Fear of a loved one dying, fear of cancer, fear of the future, of loneliness, of not getting married, losing our job, incompetence, helplessness...The list is long, but faith is the step we need to take against fear. Faith says that what I cannot do, what I cannot control, what I cannot foresee, is all in God's hands. He knows me, He knows the future. AND what's more, He loves me!
There is nothing, NOTHING that happens to me, that is NOT under His jurisdiction and control. I will trust in Him no matter what. I will trust in Him even when circumstances appear dire and spinning out of control. I. will. trust. in. Him. Period.

 "You are to be a people peculiarly His own, His own special treasure..." Dt. 26:18
I think we can never know how much God loves us, not until we reach heaven, our real home. I see how God prepared a special place for Adam and Eve. How beautiful the garden must have been! Out of all the fragrant and delicious fruits in the garden, the forbidden one caught Eve's eye. God prepared an equally beautiful place for us here on earth. Just like Adam and Eve, we continue to make wrong choices. Out of all the amazing things we have to do, we also choose the wrong ones. Instead of praying first thing in the morning, we open Facebook. Instead of reading the Bible, we watch a telenovela. Instead of encouraging someone, we gossip. Instead of forgiving or asking for forgiveness, we harden our hearts.

But does God condemn us? No. He loves us more. He comes nearer. He does not love us because we are perfect. He loves us because we are His sons and daughters.
Peter probably committed the greatest sin. He denied Jesus 3 times and left Him at a time when Jesus was so alone. And Peter didn't have the chance to say, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Did God give up on Peter? In Mark 16:7, after the women found Jesus' tomb empty, an angel instructed them, "Go tell His disciples AND PETER, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him just as He told you." Out of all the disciples, Peter was singled out for this message. Whenever we sin, whenever we believe we fall short of what we believe God wants us to do or be, we should remember this. God never condemns. He calls us closer.
In Zechariah 2:8, we read, "He that touches you, touches the apple of His eye." "Apple" is translated from the Hebrew for "little man" or "pupil" of the eye. Consider how protected the pupil is- hemmed in by our eyelids, our eyelashes, and our eyebrows. So is God the Father's love for us. We are protected, hedged, guarded, looked after. Thank you Lord for Your amazing, inconceivable love!

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3 comments:

  1. Abela8:36 PM

    Very good Patsy, I follow your work for google + and love.. Saludos

    ReplyDelete
  2. Teresa Arsenault6:20 AM

    Beautiful art, all of it. I like what you said about not letting little irritants fester into something bigger.
    Blessing hugs,
    Teresa

    ReplyDelete
  3. Faith9:08 AM

    I love your facebook photo with the pope.

    ReplyDelete

I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy