365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 288

My job is such that I come across cases of customers or alarm companies that are simply not educated in what the law requires. However, I am very sympathetic to this because I realize how little do I know about the actual laws where I live. If we haven't been taught that we must do our own research to find out what the law says than we end up in a mess of fines, etc. My job is to teach alarm companies what is required of them so they can be in compliance with the law. Have you ever read an ordinance? Why oh why can't they just put it in honest straight to the point language? No wonder people are confused and don't know what the law is telling them. Now God's laws are the honest straight to the point kind. You know what they mean and you understand what you have to not do. Do not murder, lie, cheat, steal to name a few. Jesus gives us a "law" to live by in saying to love God and love one another as you love yourself. This is a positive motivating "law" in that it is telling you what to do instead of what not to do. Focus on loving, loving, loving. It can't get any more straight to the point then that.
Matthew 22: 37-40 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 271

My daughter had a homework assignment to read a story and than ask us our opinion on who should go to jail. The story in a nutshell was about a man whose wife is sick and in need of medicine. He goes to an apothocary to get medicine but does not have enough money. He asks if he could give him what he has, take the medicine and pay the rest when he gets it but the apothocary says no. He goes home and later goes out and breaks into the apothcary's place and takes the medicine his wife needs. Who should go to jail? Well my son and I said the obvious answer and went with the law. The man stole the medicine that is breaking the law. What the apothocary did wasn't breaking the law it just was an uncompassionate choice. My daughter who was totally into this said well maybe the woman should go to jail for getting sick. NO-NO-NO I told her. You don't go out and ask a virus to make you sick. The woman didn't have any choice in getting sick. So do you see where I am going with this? Some choices aren't against any standard law or against the Ten Commandments and some choices are but no matter what the choices are, there are consequences. Though the apothocary's choice didn't directly break any law it spurred another man to make a choice to break a law. The bible tells us that if there is something that may cause our brothers or sisters to sin than we should not do whatever may cause the other to sin. Each choice we make, each action we take, each word we say can be that "whatever" that may cause another to make the choice to sin. I am thankful for this homework lesson that came home for my daughter that brought up this bible truth. May the words and actions I take today be only loving and kind and not cause another to make the choice of sinning. Amen.

1Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 167

Yesterday at my job, I had the challenge of talking to an alarm company that thought they knew the law. The man was pretty adamant that he did not need to be paying just because, in his mind, no other alarm company was paying. I had to lead him to the truth in the kindest but firmest way I knew by simply stating over and over again, it's part of the ordinance. What I really wanted to do was yell at him and say look it's the law so just pay it. However, I need to keep my job... So, I kept on with kindness and firmness and ultimately the guy said can I pay with a credit card. I just chuckle about it now but in the moment, I was sweating it out dealing with this adversity to the truth. It makes me think of how difficult people probably are towards hearing the truth of the gospel. Their walls are up and their life experiences have cemented in their beliefs but we need to be persistent like God is with us. Never give up, never, ever. I think we can take down those walls people build up around themselves brick by brick with our kindness, our example, our conviction and commitment. Do you have someone who doesn't want to believe in Jesus? Doesn't want to hear the truth? Keep at them and let God work through you to take down the wall so they can see the light.
1 Timothy 2: 3-4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.