Love forgives. Plain and simple. Nothing less. Is your love acting, or “failing”?
Above all,
have fervent and unfailing love
for one another,
because love covers a multitude of sins
[it overlooks unkindness
and unselfishly seeks the best for others].
Got to have it: “have fervent and unfailing love”. Have it.
Have it? Got it?
Are you forgiving? Or maybe instead are you: hating, gossiping, resenting, planning revenge, retaliating, holding on to the pain, feeling sorry for yourself, blaming others…. The list goes on and on.
The culmination of, little by little NOT forgiving often results in careless bad talk, hurtful words, broken relationships, fornicating, divorce, binge drinking, drunkenness, doing drugs, reckless driving, murder…. And the list goes on and on. Read the results in the news, day after day. Or actually look inside your own insides.
We are so NOT good at forgiving. It takes gumption to forgive. It is so much easier to just give up and give in: be unhappy, go act-out, be angry, be spiteful, accept being down and sad, don’t resist, just let it happen.
Lack of forgiveness is endemic in the natural soul. It often is found bound-up inside our insides – streaming from our soul.
Excerpt from: Streaming from my soul
What is streaming from your soul? What is it, coming out from deep inside you?
Jesus said that it is that, what is inside you, that causes us problems. It’s not what’s outside. It’s what’s inside. What content are you streaming from deep inside your soul?
We do not have to let sin reign in our soul. 
Read Romans 6:3-14. Believers who are in Christ “used to be” dominated by sin. Or are you now, still? Don’t let it.
Domination by sin is supposed to be a part of our PAST – not our present. Although “such were some of you“, according to 1 Peter 4:1-8 we should be done with “intentional sinning” (verse 1).
Modern phsycology would not say the following, but, biblically: before coming to Christ, we church folk were into a whole lot of behavior issues…
- [intentional] sin […pleasing the world] (v1)
- [spending] the rest of his natural life living for human appetites and desires (v2)
- living for human appetites and desires (v2)
- doing what the [unsaved] Gentiles like to do (v3)
- living [unrestrained as you have done] in a course of… (v3)
- [shameless] sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries (v3)
- you …[think like them, value their values (v4)
- “resentful and surprised” that [true believers] do not [think like them, value their values…] (v4)
- and] run [hand in hand] with them into the same excesses of dissipation and immoral freedom (v4)
– Excerpt from the article: About past sins and being forgiven now
Life is a series of choices. What you choose is up to you.
Choosing to follow Jesus is a choice.
Choosing to reject Jesus is a choice.
Choosing to sin is a choice.
Choosing to obey Jesus is a choice.
– Excerpt from the article: Don’t let it
Get some gumption. We all need to turn to God in prayer – through-out our day. Resolve to walk closely with God.
“There is nothing automatic in my soul, however. My will always comes into play, multiple times every hour. I am no android, after all. Moment by moment I must choose righteousness. I have options (to sin; to not sin). My desire moves me. And my desire is Christ. I choose to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. My focus is: living for Him.” – Excerpt from: The well-guarded soul
May the source be with you – Jesus the Christ and Holy Spirit. Not “the force”, but “the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior”, “the Lord Jesus Christ and …the [Holy] Spirit of our God”. Then we can begin to enjoy spiritual well-being.
11 And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior]. – 1 Corinthians 6:11
Finally, believers, rejoice!
Be made complete
[be what you should be],
be comforted,
be like-minded,
live in peace
[enjoy the spiritual well-being
experienced by believers who walk closely with God];
and the God of love and peace
[the source of lovingkindness]
will be with you.
– 2 Corinthians 13:11
FOR MORE:
If I were to let sin reign in my body
Lord, Father, I bow my heart before you
About past sins and being forgiven now
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