Day 19

Written May 24, 2011**

I suddenly had a burst of thoughts to write about. :)

Today, I bought a book called “Strength for Today” by John MacArthur and I’m recommending it to anyone who wants more depth in their faith and more understanding of what the Scripture says.

Anyway, it’s a daily devotional book and I’m already 143 days late. So, I decided that I would read 7-10 days a day. Soon, I will be able to catch up, unlike other books I’ve bought and tried to finish, but weren’t as interesting as this. Okay, so I’m going to make this post short since it’s already late. :) [Time check 9:54 PM] :D

Day 19 or January 19 speaks about Christ’s Gentle example. Many people think that when Jesus was around, he was a gentle heart. He was; but, not the way most people think, I guess. He was gentle even when He was hurt or disrespected. He did not care about himself. He was neither selfish nor self-centered. But, when it was the Father who was dishonoured, he was furious. He was angered. {Read the Matthew 26-27 in the Bible to understand the story of Jesus at the Temple}

This is where my thoughts came in. I think we should be more sensitive on how and when we get mad. We must control ourselves and keep calm. We are imperfect. We may not appreciate criticisms, but we don’t really see ourselves from the outside, so it’s not proper for us to get mad if people say bad things about us.

It is only when our Father is violated that we must talk back and fight back. When we hear people claim the wrong things about our Creator, that’s when we really have to stand up and do something to make the True Words of our Father known. When people say that the bad is good, we should strongly oppose and state otherwise.

Another line that struck me in the passage was “Jesus forgave those who crucified Him. How can we do any less to those who hurt us?” WOW. I can super relate to this. I have so many pain and grudges against people. With all the pain they have caused me and all the changes they made in my life, I couldn’t help but think they are unforgiveable. But, if the Son is able to resist anger and forgive those who have caused him excruciating pain, shouldn’t I? Shouldn’t we?

I’m ending this with another question: If you have experienced the difficulty of asking for forgiveness from a dear friend, aren’t you supposed to understand those people who are asking forgiveness from you?

Ps. I know. I’m a very dynamic person. One day, I can be mad and cussing and furious and then the next day I’m talking about religious matters. :D Bipolar, remember? xD {Time check: 10:07 PM}