You know how there are different levels of lessons you learn? Like, there are lessons you can learn from one experience. You can learn a lesson from a series of events. You can learn a lesson from a class or a service. You can learn a lesson from someone's actions.
I've been learning a lesson for years now that I didn't realize I was learning until about a year ago. I suppose it's a lesson that I've been learning all my life, but at the same time, it's a lesson that I've really only mentally attended for about two years now.
This lesson hasn't come easily or without many smaller lessons contributing to this greater lesson. This lesson has been taught through many points of laughter… through being a part of and/or witnessing countless debates, arguments, fights!.. Through many misunderstandings.. Through many miscommunications.. many opportunities to forgive.
This lesson has had many teachers: My parents, my friends, my co-workers… that guy at Wal-Mart who apparently thought sentences are incomplete without the use of profanities.. the lady at the Cheesecake Factory who waited on my friend and me, who went on to basically tell us her life story and explain how she's barely holding on and pretty much expectant of the worst case scenario……. Basically anyone and everyone who I've encountered, witnessed or taken mental note of has been a teacher in this lesson. Then there is the author of the curriculum: Jesus.
One day I was very frustrated with a situation, a particular estrangement I was experiencing with a very close friend of mine. I was talking with the author (praying) about this when He just decided to give me a 3 word synopsis of this lesson:
"People+Are+People."
Uh… Yeah….
Those three words would put a context for many of the dealings I had experienced (including that present estrangement.) Those three words, as simple as they were (that rhymed), would give me an understanding that would help with every challenge with man I would face from then on. Every stupid misunderstanding, every personality conflict, every offense… could be explained, not answered or solved, but explained in "People are People."
THREE words! Only three words, yet so many angles from which those words could be viewed.
Every person I had ever seen, talked to, dealt with…etc.. all of them were people. All of US are people. Moreover, people are an imperfect people. Now before you start yelling at me "That's bad doctrine! I've been made perfect by the Blood of Jesus!" You are right in a sense. I don't know that I'd say we're "perfect." I believe the accurate Biblical term is "righteous." Because of the Blood of Jesus, we've been washed clean, redeemed, restored and placed back in right standing (righteousness) with God. But I like the way the Apostle Paul said it to the Philippians, - "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:12-14)
If there was someone after Jesus who could've said, "Ya know.. I've pretty much got this down" it would've been the Apostle Paul. Yet, he knew that he was not yet perfected. If you jump back to the beginning of the same letter to the Philippians, you can see where he said, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6) Paul new that God still had more work to do in him and more work to do in others. He was writing to believers, born again christians, and to them he said, "He will complete it in you UNTIL the day of Jesus Christ (A.K.A. the second coming of Jesus.) In other words, until Jesus comes back or we go to be with him via bodily death, He's still gonna be working on us.. ALL of us!
Sometimes we get all bent out of shape when someone does something we don't agree with. "Why would they do that?!?.. HOW could they do that?.." - "That's not how I was raised!" There are also all the times in which people become upset with us (yay my favorite!) "WHAT?!?!… I NEVER said that!" - "Are you serious?.. that's not what I meant!" - "I was just joking!" - "Why would that bother them so much? Anyone else would've laughed at that!" - "Surely they would know that THAT was never my intention…."
We must realize that everyone we ever encounter or witness in any manner whatsoever, is a human being. Jesus was the only human that was fully God and fully man at the same time. The rest of us are still being perfected, having to constantly put our flesh in its place, renew our mind and feed our spirits.
Sometimes we expect of people what we should only expect from God. We expect people to handle situations flawlessly and if they don't, we see them differently or do really what is called "judging." Before you get to mad at me, I'm not saying that we think they're no longer righteous or not saved… and I'm not saying that we put ourselves in God's place as "THE Judge." I'm saying that we perceive them differently. The word "judge" in verb form means: to form an opinion or conclusion about. With that definition in mind it seems like we do judge quite a bit more than we think we do. Oh I mean we'll "walk in love"…. "I'll love em, but I'm gonna keep my eye on them." A conclusion is made based on their actions. We put them in a class or category that is treated differently.
When I'm faced with thoughts of "They messed up!?.." or "they messed up AGAIN?!".. the most sobering and probably the most healthy question I can ask myself is, "How many times have you been forgiven and trusted with things AFTER you've failed?.. How many times has God forgiven you Stephen? And for the same thing!?.." I'm thankful that the Jesus who said, "forgive seventy times seven" is the same Jesus whom I've had to ask for such forgiveness. He is also the same Jesus who said, "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.." (Matt 6:15)
But the real factor here is just that we must forgive, but really the manner of forgiveness. Col 3:12-13 says, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." Notice the wording "even AS Christ forgave you, so you also must do." So it's not just that we must, it's that we must forgive AS Christ forgave us, or the same way He forgave us.
I conclude two things about the way Jesus forgives: 1- He forgives and he forgets. Once you've been cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, you have been justified (just as if it never happened.) He doesn't hold things over our heads and treat us differently. Remember, the blood of bulls and goats in the old testament provided ATONEMENT (the covering of sins), Jesus' blood provides REMISSION (the removal) of sins. They're gone! So when He forgives us and doesn't bring out faults, shortcomings and mistakes back up, that is the same WAY we are to forgive. 2- He forgives BEFORE we ever sin against him. He gave His life for sins that we would commit 2,000 years later. His forgiveness is there, waiting for any and all who would confess their sins and receive his forgiveness. So my new position when someone wrongs me is this, "I forgive." They don't even have to ask. Even if they never ask, I want to be like Jesus and He provided forgiveness before I ever came to Him asking for it.
We must realize that the rest of our lives we will be dealing with people who are imperfect. These people, (ourselves included) that have personalities different than ours, backgrounds different than ours, weaknesses different than ours, strengths different than ours, tempers different than ours, views different than ours……. Therefore, there is no formula for our dealings with others. Each person must be treated as the unique individual that they are. I've found every time I pray "Lord change them" or "Fix them Lord" I'm usually the one that He ends up working on. When I try to show Him their laziness, He'll show me my impatience. I had to realize it's His job to work on people not mine. What is my job is to Love them.
1 Cor 13 tells us what I believe are two of the most powerful traits of Love. Love keeps no record of wrongs and Love believes all things. We are called to walk in love with EVERYONE and the in which we are called to operate is the love which keeps no record of wrongs. Just remember how much you've been forgiven and that'll really help you get over someone else's error. Consider the woman in John chapter 8. All the people wanted to stone her because she'd been caught red handed in the act of adultery (Que Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me.") When Jesus said, "Let him who has no sin cast the first stone." Funny how no one could bring themselves to stone her. Jesus told her, "I don't condemn you either. Go and sin no more."
That second trait was "Love believes all things." The Amplified Bible says, "Love is every ready to believe the best of every person." WOW!.. Love not only forgets when someone wrongs them, but it also goes on to believe and expect the best from them.
I know a young man who has made his fair share of bad choices. Mess up after mess up after mess up with no sign of change in sight. One day he did what everyone was expecting him to do. He messed up. I went to talk with him. 30 minutes of listening to him vent showed me that he felt nobody liked him, everybody thought he was a bad person…etc. I gave him some counsel, ministered to him and at the end of the talk, when I had no logical reason to do so I said, "I believe in you! I know you're going to do great! I see greatness inside of you waiting to come out. You're a mighty man of God!" I kinda almost wanted to question myself as I was saying these things, but I know it was the Love of God speaking through me. When I said those things something happened. He looked at me like he had never heard anything like that in his LIFE! He smiled from ear to ear. He teared up. He hugged me like I was his "B-F-F." That was in January, it's now April and he is a completely different person now. Other people have noticed the change in Him. He's always happy. The things that he used to do in rebellion he doesn't do anymore. He has a genuine love for God. All this, because one person believed the best in them even when there was no reason to outside of love. (This isn't to pat me on the back or say it was because of me. It could've been any donkey speaking.) When one person released God's love by believing in him and not holding his past against him, it opened him up to receive the love that God had for him. As long as he thought everyone else was mad at him and hated him, he thought the same about God. But when loved and believed in by someone, he was ready to be loved and believed in by God. Love believes the best in everyone. You believe the best and if someone fails.. you forgive and go right back to believing the best! Isn't that what Jesus has done for us? :)
I love you and believe in you! And even more importantly than that, Jesus loves you and believes in you!
-Stephen
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
This One's For the People
You know how there are different levels of lessons you learn? Like, there are lessons you can learn from one experience. You can learn a lesson from a series of events. You can learn a lesson from a class or a service. You can learn a lesson from someone's actions.
I've been learning a lesson for years now that I didn't realize I was learning until about a year ago. I suppose it's a lesson that I've been learning all my life, but at the same time, it's a lesson that I've really only mentally attended for about two years now.
This lesson hasn't come easily or without many smaller lessons contributing to this greater lesson. This lesson has been taught through many points of laughter… through being a part of and/or witnessing countless debates, arguments, fights!.. Through many misunderstandings.. Through many miscommunications.. many opportunities to forgive.
This lesson has had many teachers: My parents, my friends, my co-workers… that guy at Wal-Mart who apparently thought sentences are incomplete without the use of profanities.. the lady at the Cheesecake Factory who waited on my friend and me, who went on to basically tell us her life story and explain how she's barely holding on and pretty much expectant of the worst case scenario……. Basically anyone and everyone who I've encountered, witnessed or taken mental note of has been a teacher in this lesson. Then there is the author of the curriculum: Jesus.
One day I was very frustrated with a situation, a particular estrangement I was experiencing with a very close friend of mine. I was talking with the author (praying) about this when He just decided to give me a 3 word synopsis of this lesson:
"People+Are+People."
Uh… Yeah….
Those three words would put a context for many of the dealings I had experienced (including that present estrangement.) Those three words, as simple as they were (that rhymed), would give me an understanding that would help with every challenge with man I would face from then on. Every stupid misunderstanding, every personality conflict, every offense… could be explained, not answered or solved, but explained in "People are People."
THREE words! Only three words, yet so many angles from which those words could be viewed.
Every person I had ever seen, talked to, dealt with…etc.. all of them were people. All of US are people. Moreover, people are an imperfect people. Now before you start yelling at me "That's bad doctrine! I've been made perfect by the Blood of Jesus!" You are right in a sense. I don't know that I'd say we're "perfect." I believe the accurate Biblical term is "righteous." Because of the Blood of Jesus, we've been washed clean, redeemed, restored and placed back in right standing (righteousness) with God. But I like the way the Apostle Paul said it to the Philippians, - "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:12-14)
If there was someone after Jesus who could've said, "Ya know.. I've pretty much got this down" it would've been the Apostle Paul. Yet, he knew that he was not yet perfected. If you jump back to the beginning of the same letter to the Philippians, you can see where he said, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6) Paul new that God still had more work to do in him and more work to do in others. He was writing to believers, born again christians, and to them he said, "He will complete it in you UNTIL the day of Jesus Christ (A.K.A. the second coming of Jesus.) In other words, until Jesus comes back or we go to be with him via bodily death, He's still gonna be working on us.. ALL of us!
Sometimes we get all bent out of shape when someone does something we don't agree with. "Why would they do that?!?.. HOW could they do that?.." - "That's not how I was raised!" There are also all the times in which people become upset with us (yay my favorite!) "WHAT?!?!… I NEVER said that!" - "Are you serious?.. that's not what I meant!" - "I was just joking!" - "Why would that bother them so much? Anyone else would've laughed at that!" - "Surely they would know that THAT was never my intention…."
We must realize that everyone we ever encounter or witness in any manner whatsoever, is a human being. Jesus was the only human that was fully God and fully man at the same time. The rest of us are still being perfected, having to constantly put our flesh in its place, renew our mind and feed our spirits.
Sometimes we expect of people what we should only expect from God. We expect people to handle situations flawlessly and if they don't, we see them differently or do really what is called "judging." Before you get to mad at me, I'm not saying that we think they're no longer righteous or not saved… and I'm not saying that we put ourselves in God's place as "THE Judge." I'm saying that we perceive them differently. The word "judge" in verb form means: to form an opinion or conclusion about. With that definition in mind it seems like we do judge quite a bit more than we think we do. Oh I mean we'll "walk in love"…. "I'll love em, but I'm gonna keep my eye on them." A conclusion is made based on their actions. We put them in a class or category that is treated differently.
When I'm faced with thoughts of "They messed up!?.." or "they messed up AGAIN?!".. the most sobering and probably the most healthy question I can ask myself is, "How many times have you been forgiven and trusted with things AFTER you've failed?.. How many times has God forgiven you Stephen? And for the same thing!?.." I'm thankful that the Jesus who said, "forgive seventy times seven" is the same Jesus whom I've had to ask for such forgiveness. He is also the same Jesus who said, "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.." (Matt 6:15)
But the real factor here is just that we must forgive, but really the manner of forgiveness. Col 3:12-13 says, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." Notice the wording "even AS Christ forgave you, so you also must do." So it's not just that we must, it's that we must forgive AS Christ forgave us, or the same way He forgave us.
I conclude two things about the way Jesus forgives: 1- He forgives and he forgets. Once you've been cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, you have been justified (just as if it never happened.) He doesn't hold things over our heads and treat us differently. Remember, the blood of bulls and goats in the old testament provided ATONEMENT (the covering of sins), Jesus' blood provides REMISSION (the removal) of sins. They're gone! So when He forgives us and doesn't bring out faults, shortcomings and mistakes back up, that is the same WAY we are to forgive. 2- He forgives BEFORE we ever sin against him. He gave His life for sins that we would commit 2,000 years later. His forgiveness is there, waiting for any and all who would confess their sins and receive his forgiveness. So my new position when someone wrongs me is this, "I forgive." They don't even have to ask. Even if they never ask, I want to be like Jesus and He provided forgiveness before I ever came to Him asking for it.
We must realize that the rest of our lives we will be dealing with people who are imperfect. These people, (ourselves included) that have personalities different than ours, backgrounds different than ours, weaknesses different than ours, strengths different than ours, tempers different than ours, views different than ours……. Therefore, there is no formula for our dealings with others. Each person must be treated as the unique individual that they are. I've found every time I pray "Lord change them" or "Fix them Lord" I'm usually the one that He ends up working on. When I try to show Him their laziness, He'll show me my impatience. I had to realize it's His job to work on people not mine. What is my job is to Love them.
1 Cor 13 tells us what I believe are two of the most powerful traits of Love. Love keeps no record of wrongs and Love believes all things. We are called to walk in love with EVERYONE and the in which we are called to operate is the love which keeps no record of wrongs. Just remember how much you've been forgiven and that'll really help you get over someone else's error. Consider the woman in John chapter 8. All the people wanted to stone her because she'd been caught red handed in the act of adultery (Que Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me.") When Jesus said, "Let him who has no sin cast the first stone." Funny how no one could bring themselves to stone her. Jesus told her, "I don't condemn you either. Go and sin no more."
That second trait was "Love believes all things." The Amplified Bible says, "Love is every ready to believe the best of every person." WOW!.. Love not only forgets when someone wrongs them, but it also goes on to believe and expect the best from them.
I know a young man who has made his fair share of bad choices. Mess up after mess up after mess up with no sign of change in sight. One day he did what everyone was expecting him to do. He messed up. I went to talk with him. 30 minutes of listening to him vent showed me that he felt nobody liked him, everybody thought he was a bad person…etc. I gave him some counsel, ministered to him and at the end of the talk, when I had no logical reason to do so I said, "I believe in you! I know you're going to do great! I see greatness inside of you waiting to come out. You're a mighty man of God!" I kinda almost wanted to question myself as I was saying these things, but I know it was the Love of God speaking through me. When I said those things something happened. He looked at me like he had never heard anything like that in his LIFE! He smiled from ear to ear. He teared up. He hugged me like I was his "B-F-F." That was in January, it's now April and he is a completely different person now. Other people have noticed the change in Him. He's always happy. The things that he used to do in rebellion he doesn't do anymore. He has a genuine love for God. All this, because one person believed the best in them even when there was no reason to outside of love. (This isn't to pat me on the back or say it was because of me. It could've been any donkey speaking.) When one person released God's love by believing in him and not holding his past against him, it opened him up to receive the love that God had for him. As long as he thought everyone else was mad at him and hated him, he thought the same about God. But when loved and believed in by someone, he was ready to be loved and believed in by God. Love believes the best in everyone. You believe the best and if someone fails.. you forgive and go right back to believing the best! Isn't that what Jesus has done for us? :)
I love you and believe in you! And even more importantly than that, Jesus loves you and believes in you!
-Stephen
I've been learning a lesson for years now that I didn't realize I was learning until about a year ago. I suppose it's a lesson that I've been learning all my life, but at the same time, it's a lesson that I've really only mentally attended for about two years now.
This lesson hasn't come easily or without many smaller lessons contributing to this greater lesson. This lesson has been taught through many points of laughter… through being a part of and/or witnessing countless debates, arguments, fights!.. Through many misunderstandings.. Through many miscommunications.. many opportunities to forgive.
This lesson has had many teachers: My parents, my friends, my co-workers… that guy at Wal-Mart who apparently thought sentences are incomplete without the use of profanities.. the lady at the Cheesecake Factory who waited on my friend and me, who went on to basically tell us her life story and explain how she's barely holding on and pretty much expectant of the worst case scenario……. Basically anyone and everyone who I've encountered, witnessed or taken mental note of has been a teacher in this lesson. Then there is the author of the curriculum: Jesus.
One day I was very frustrated with a situation, a particular estrangement I was experiencing with a very close friend of mine. I was talking with the author (praying) about this when He just decided to give me a 3 word synopsis of this lesson:
"People+Are+People."
Uh… Yeah….
Those three words would put a context for many of the dealings I had experienced (including that present estrangement.) Those three words, as simple as they were (that rhymed), would give me an understanding that would help with every challenge with man I would face from then on. Every stupid misunderstanding, every personality conflict, every offense… could be explained, not answered or solved, but explained in "People are People."
THREE words! Only three words, yet so many angles from which those words could be viewed.
Every person I had ever seen, talked to, dealt with…etc.. all of them were people. All of US are people. Moreover, people are an imperfect people. Now before you start yelling at me "That's bad doctrine! I've been made perfect by the Blood of Jesus!" You are right in a sense. I don't know that I'd say we're "perfect." I believe the accurate Biblical term is "righteous." Because of the Blood of Jesus, we've been washed clean, redeemed, restored and placed back in right standing (righteousness) with God. But I like the way the Apostle Paul said it to the Philippians, - "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:12-14)
If there was someone after Jesus who could've said, "Ya know.. I've pretty much got this down" it would've been the Apostle Paul. Yet, he knew that he was not yet perfected. If you jump back to the beginning of the same letter to the Philippians, you can see where he said, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6) Paul new that God still had more work to do in him and more work to do in others. He was writing to believers, born again christians, and to them he said, "He will complete it in you UNTIL the day of Jesus Christ (A.K.A. the second coming of Jesus.) In other words, until Jesus comes back or we go to be with him via bodily death, He's still gonna be working on us.. ALL of us!
Sometimes we get all bent out of shape when someone does something we don't agree with. "Why would they do that?!?.. HOW could they do that?.." - "That's not how I was raised!" There are also all the times in which people become upset with us (yay my favorite!) "WHAT?!?!… I NEVER said that!" - "Are you serious?.. that's not what I meant!" - "I was just joking!" - "Why would that bother them so much? Anyone else would've laughed at that!" - "Surely they would know that THAT was never my intention…."
We must realize that everyone we ever encounter or witness in any manner whatsoever, is a human being. Jesus was the only human that was fully God and fully man at the same time. The rest of us are still being perfected, having to constantly put our flesh in its place, renew our mind and feed our spirits.
Sometimes we expect of people what we should only expect from God. We expect people to handle situations flawlessly and if they don't, we see them differently or do really what is called "judging." Before you get to mad at me, I'm not saying that we think they're no longer righteous or not saved… and I'm not saying that we put ourselves in God's place as "THE Judge." I'm saying that we perceive them differently. The word "judge" in verb form means: to form an opinion or conclusion about. With that definition in mind it seems like we do judge quite a bit more than we think we do. Oh I mean we'll "walk in love"…. "I'll love em, but I'm gonna keep my eye on them." A conclusion is made based on their actions. We put them in a class or category that is treated differently.
When I'm faced with thoughts of "They messed up!?.." or "they messed up AGAIN?!".. the most sobering and probably the most healthy question I can ask myself is, "How many times have you been forgiven and trusted with things AFTER you've failed?.. How many times has God forgiven you Stephen? And for the same thing!?.." I'm thankful that the Jesus who said, "forgive seventy times seven" is the same Jesus whom I've had to ask for such forgiveness. He is also the same Jesus who said, "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.." (Matt 6:15)
But the real factor here is just that we must forgive, but really the manner of forgiveness. Col 3:12-13 says, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." Notice the wording "even AS Christ forgave you, so you also must do." So it's not just that we must, it's that we must forgive AS Christ forgave us, or the same way He forgave us.
I conclude two things about the way Jesus forgives: 1- He forgives and he forgets. Once you've been cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, you have been justified (just as if it never happened.) He doesn't hold things over our heads and treat us differently. Remember, the blood of bulls and goats in the old testament provided ATONEMENT (the covering of sins), Jesus' blood provides REMISSION (the removal) of sins. They're gone! So when He forgives us and doesn't bring out faults, shortcomings and mistakes back up, that is the same WAY we are to forgive. 2- He forgives BEFORE we ever sin against him. He gave His life for sins that we would commit 2,000 years later. His forgiveness is there, waiting for any and all who would confess their sins and receive his forgiveness. So my new position when someone wrongs me is this, "I forgive." They don't even have to ask. Even if they never ask, I want to be like Jesus and He provided forgiveness before I ever came to Him asking for it.
We must realize that the rest of our lives we will be dealing with people who are imperfect. These people, (ourselves included) that have personalities different than ours, backgrounds different than ours, weaknesses different than ours, strengths different than ours, tempers different than ours, views different than ours……. Therefore, there is no formula for our dealings with others. Each person must be treated as the unique individual that they are. I've found every time I pray "Lord change them" or "Fix them Lord" I'm usually the one that He ends up working on. When I try to show Him their laziness, He'll show me my impatience. I had to realize it's His job to work on people not mine. What is my job is to Love them.
1 Cor 13 tells us what I believe are two of the most powerful traits of Love. Love keeps no record of wrongs and Love believes all things. We are called to walk in love with EVERYONE and the in which we are called to operate is the love which keeps no record of wrongs. Just remember how much you've been forgiven and that'll really help you get over someone else's error. Consider the woman in John chapter 8. All the people wanted to stone her because she'd been caught red handed in the act of adultery (Que Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me.") When Jesus said, "Let him who has no sin cast the first stone." Funny how no one could bring themselves to stone her. Jesus told her, "I don't condemn you either. Go and sin no more."
That second trait was "Love believes all things." The Amplified Bible says, "Love is every ready to believe the best of every person." WOW!.. Love not only forgets when someone wrongs them, but it also goes on to believe and expect the best from them.
I know a young man who has made his fair share of bad choices. Mess up after mess up after mess up with no sign of change in sight. One day he did what everyone was expecting him to do. He messed up. I went to talk with him. 30 minutes of listening to him vent showed me that he felt nobody liked him, everybody thought he was a bad person…etc. I gave him some counsel, ministered to him and at the end of the talk, when I had no logical reason to do so I said, "I believe in you! I know you're going to do great! I see greatness inside of you waiting to come out. You're a mighty man of God!" I kinda almost wanted to question myself as I was saying these things, but I know it was the Love of God speaking through me. When I said those things something happened. He looked at me like he had never heard anything like that in his LIFE! He smiled from ear to ear. He teared up. He hugged me like I was his "B-F-F." That was in January, it's now April and he is a completely different person now. Other people have noticed the change in Him. He's always happy. The things that he used to do in rebellion he doesn't do anymore. He has a genuine love for God. All this, because one person believed the best in them even when there was no reason to outside of love. (This isn't to pat me on the back or say it was because of me. It could've been any donkey speaking.) When one person released God's love by believing in him and not holding his past against him, it opened him up to receive the love that God had for him. As long as he thought everyone else was mad at him and hated him, he thought the same about God. But when loved and believed in by someone, he was ready to be loved and believed in by God. Love believes the best in everyone. You believe the best and if someone fails.. you forgive and go right back to believing the best! Isn't that what Jesus has done for us? :)
I love you and believe in you! And even more importantly than that, Jesus loves you and believes in you!
-Stephen
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