Other people – mini series

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

My last blog, I started a little mini series about my prayers for myself based on other people. Encouraging me to forgive other people are God forgives me. As my prayers for myself continue, I set myself a challenge in moving forward.  I pray, “help me to talk about other people as you talk about me.” Forgetting about myself for a moment, The question is, how does God talk about us?

We have to start with Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 10, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Then there is the classic from Jeremiah 29 (a classic for a good reason) verse 10,  For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then amazing imagery from Zephaniah’s prophecy in chapter 3 (of the book Zephaniah, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament) The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.’

BUT, as great as those verses might be, I want God to be personal to me, what does he say about a person? I am brought, in my thoughts to Job, what does God tell Satan about Job?  (Job chapter 1 verse 8) Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Was Job really sinless? Was he totally blameless and thoroughly upright? No doubt that he was a good man, but he was not perfect. Yet God, when he talks to another about him, there is nothing but pride in his voice.

I pray, help me to talk about other people as you talk about me. God talks about me positively, with pride and nothing but affection. If I am, as a Christian, to live a life that is Christ like, then my aim is to do as Jesus did. This includes how I talk about other people.

How do you talk about other people? is it all positive? 

Other people – mini series

Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

There is nothing I like more, than to pray for myself! Those of you who know me, might think, that is the best use of your time, you need it. In my prayers I spend some hard time self evaluating my last 24 hrs or so. I bring to mind, those things I have done, said and thought that were wrong, sin as the bible calls it. 1 John chapter 1 verse 8 (sadly) reminds me that “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” I might think, “well over the past 24 hrs I did nothing wrong!” I then consider things that I haven’t said, thought and done that I should have done. Yeah, I can’t claim to be without sin.

Is my inactivity just as bad as my activity? I would like to argue that it is. Jesus, in teaching his disciples about prayer (Matthew chapter 6 verses 9 – 13) tells them, that you are to ask for forgiveness AND to forgive those who have sinned against you. Not easy.  But this is part of my inactivity, and can stop me from moving on. This, in time will lead me to bearing a grudge and eventually lead to having malicious thoughts and hatred will consume me. I need to forgive and I need to be forgiven. So how can I do this?

My prayers continue, I ask God, “help me to forgive other people as you forgive me.” It’s an ouch moment. Thankfully there is a verse 9 in 1 John chapter 1 that tells us, ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ The psalmists tells us (chapter 32) our sins are not counted against us and (chapter 103) that God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. Phew! But what a challenge! Can I forgive someone just as God forgives me?

I pray for myself a lot, because I need the help; to be the person God know that I can be.