For Goodness Sake!!!

For Goodness Sake


We are steadily getting honest with ourselves, I know it is difficult, but I have faith that we all will make it through ….Christ. =D

As a review:

True love is Agape Love which is totally different from worldly love which demands its own way. Agape love is from God achieving what is best for the beloved knowing that pain is inevitable for both parties at times. (read love angle in the archives if you are unfamiliar with our topic)

What do we do when the beloved is in pain and their emotions desire to coerce us into giving them what they want instead of what they need?

How do we reconcile the hostility being propelled toward us and still be a giver of peace and love?

We translated that into the visual of the coliseum and spoke about only being able to extend love and peace – we must not become a warrior in that coliseum.

What we know about out human nature is that we are pain  "avoiders”. We discussed how this sets up habits and how if not rectified these habits build up generations with the same patterns of dealing with life in some very broken ways. These habits create upheaval, division and strife which are bondage and a curse to obtaining the fullness of life desired for us.

So let’s ponder a question we planted in the Deeply Series and see what has sprouted, okay?

The old adage “I am who I am - don’t try to change me”- Do we consider it selfish to love someone but then desire for them to be different? Our generations have been assaulted with the allusion of not accepting people like they are and “always” wanting to change them. Is this manipulative, selfish etc.?

The world has tried desperately to force us to perceive that each person must not be held accountable for living as they individually deem right verses righteousness.

So I ask….”Doesn’t God love us unconditionally…..Doesn’t He accept us just as we are?”
“Are all the scriptures lies where He requests that we put away our old life, old ways to be transformed by the renewing of our minds?”

Knowing that God is love, truth and the way we are to live in actions toward others, let’s see what He has to say on the subject and finally END this debate:

The truth is God states that if He did not love us He would not discipline us. Read Deuteronomy Chapter 11 later for full text; we are focusing on verses 1, 2, 11-21, 25-28:

Love the LORD your God, and do what he wants you to do. Always obey his laws, rules, and commands. Remember today the discipline you learned from the LORD your God. ({I’m not talking} to your children. They didn’t see or experience any of this.) You saw and experienced his great power—his mighty hand and powerful arm.

11-21 The land you’re about to enter is a land with hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky. 12 It is a land the LORD your God cares about. He watches over it all year long. If you faithfully obey the commands that I’m giving you today, love the LORD your God, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will send rain on your land at the right time, both in the fall and in the spring. Then you will gather your own grain, new wine, and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your animals, and you will be able to eat all you want. Be careful, or you’ll be tempted to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. The LORD will become angry with you. He’ll shut the sky so that there’ll be no rain. Then the ground won’t grow any crops, and you’ll quickly disappear from this good land the LORD is giving you. Take these words of mine to heart and keep them in mind. {Write them down,} tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder. Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. 20 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. Then you and your children will live for a long time in this land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors—as long as there’s a sky above the earth.



25-28 No one will be able to stop you. As the LORD your God promised, he will make people terrified of you wherever you go in this land. Today I’m giving you the choice of a blessing or a curse. You’ll be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I’m giving you today. You’ll be cursed if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God, if you turn from the way I’m commanding you to live today, and if you worship other gods you never knew.

Let’s really understand this discipline God speaks of: It is translated from a Hebrew word Muwcar meaning chastisement, punishment, correction, discipline, instruction and self control. Essentially it is a bond, a checking; restraint – all which result in education.

This discipline is written about in Proverbs many times.  Proverbs is the scripture we base our wisdom and discernment for maturation into the transformation of living holy, lovely and pure lives. The discipline it speaks of is usually oral and not corporal – yet think about our reactions when we do not get what we desire: we act like a child throwing a tantrum. We bully others with our words and actions then minimize our behavior by say its not a big deal because we did not inflict physical pain upon anyone.

Really? God has something to say about emotional abuse and it is not that it is okay. He states that it is real…it inflicts real physical pain to the point that you are actually murdering the individual. That individuals blood is upon your hands now….What will you do? Will you choose life, or will you choose death? The choice is yours to make – do they live or die based on your intent? Will you choose a blessing or a curse? The ultimate curse falls on YOUR head…..so “STOP IT!” For Goodness Sake….stop it. Choose differently, I beg of you.

Proverbs 22:14,15 states this: The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the Lord will fall into it. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it from him.

The root word that Muwcar comes from is Yacar, which I will sum up in this definition: It is the intent of the discipline being to correct. It is the process of becoming educated when the proper amount of training and correction are imposed.

That my friend is love….

Paul summed it up in Colossians 2; I will summarize but go back and check me on it. ( all as I have advised you to do with all men. =D)

Paul is encouraging them as he expressed his fighting the good fight for their unity. He speaks of his assurance that God has built them up together in Christ, resulting in true knowledge and wisdom, so that no one may delude them with persuasive arguments. He implores them to not allow themselves to be taken captive through empty philosophy and deception according to traditions of men and elementary principles of this world rather than the deity of Christ. He reminds them that all such things have been nailed to the cross and Christ alone was the rule and authority over them, so they were not to let any man judge them “in regard to food, drink, festivals, new moons, Sabbath, because these are minor things or shadows of the important stuff.

He states that the good fight is all about is this: Putting aside malice, anger, wrath, slander and ANY ABUSIVE Speech. Not lying to each other because we are being renewed to a true knowledge and image of Christ where there is no distinction among others: Only Christ who is all and in all.

So, we must forgive as He forgave then go beyond the self part passing through to Love,which is the perfect bond holding us together: to let peace of Christ rule and have authority.

When we hold our words and give / allow His words priority and space,  there will be wisdom, teaching, admonishing, psalms, hymns and thankfulness in our hearts. If He is all and in all, what are you forcing him to say or do to someone today?

Winding this up now, the answer to the question is this:

You cannot love someone and then not care about their state and safety or growth. That would be the definition of Unloving. Love may however forgive all things – but it cannot cease to desire the removal of pain causing obtrusions in their environment.

Love is more sensitive than anger, bitterness etc, so obviously it gets wounded more easily. You cannot love and be disinterested or indifferent to the welfare of your beloved. Your desire is for them to be able to live in fullness, healthier, with loyal companions and prosperity that would not be obtainable in their lesser form.

This is why we must Love – when one suffers Christ suffers the ability to be perfectly unified and identifiable with all He deserves to have made manifest.

Do you love Him enough to truly love those in your body – family – marriage???

I pray that you be purposeful through Christ, not self, so that He may educate you on how to be interdependent in Love, Truth and Light for His glory and Namesake.

With Love,
Candace