Lessons learned the first 50 years

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I hit a milestone. I turned 50 years old. I am thankful that I don't feel 50.   I am thankful for things God has taught me throughout those 50 years. .  I have learned that God loves mercy and when I feel a sense that justice needs to happen over mercy, all I need to do is remember that I am thankful for when God gives me mercy instead of a just punishment.   (Micah 6:8 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.) ( Luke 6: 36  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ) I have learned that hurt people end up hurting people.   When I am able to see that I didn't hurt them but I am bearing the results of that persons hurt inflicted by other people, it helps me forgive whatever hurt they pushed onto me and move on.  (Romans 12 : 18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. )  I have learned that anyone who thinks they have God
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Fruits, not nuts

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One of my friends had the unfortunate experience of being called the devil by a "pastor". My friend is certainly a believer...a godly man who shows his love of Jesus by his actions. Apparently, they had a theological disagreement of some sort. It saddens me that there are Christians who claim Jesus' name ...yet don't embrace HIS model of showing love. He did minister to the unloved, to the shunned, to the lowly.. He ministered with them and hung out with them in order to draw them to repentance. He showed love to them by giving them His time and His attention. He loved them...and He spoke truth to them. I think it is sad that people who claim His name sometimes don't follow Jesus' lead. Instead,they follow the lead of the Pharisee. They put heavy burdens upon the people that they are around out of an over inflated sense of "Holiness"...but there is no love or compassion in their words or actions. The Pharisee says....You must get right with God...before you can be in the church...be in the presence of the Pharisee. This is NOT Jesus' model.
Mark 2:15-17 reads: 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”


Jesus says: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He proclaims His purpose is to call sinners to repentance. That means to turn away from sin. So...the sinner then made a choice. They either recognized that they're living in sin, and then followed Jesus Christ, OR they choose to reject the Gospel (reject Jesus) and stay in a sinful life, not following in the path of Christ.
He spoke truth.. He spoke hard truth... He did it without sin. Man, when he tries to speak truth sometimes speaks it with pride... "I am right"... and without love.
However,Jesus always showed GREAT love...GREAT compassion and spoke with GREAT love.
I hope it will be said of me that people didn't see a Christian "nut"...but saw spiritual fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

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