"the beautiful thing about mercy is that it is demonstrated to the offender as well as to the victim. When the offender realizes his or her wrong, God brings mercy, when the victim needs help to go on, God gives mercy."
At this point in my life, I don't know, nor will I ever know if my offenders have realized their actions were wrong,These offenders were people I was supposed to trust, obey, love unconditionally... I can only look to God as a victim that needs help to go on in life with peace in my heart and I do believe He is giving me that mercy and grace! Thank you Lord, for your unconditional love for me and the ongoing giving of your mercy and love! Touch my heart so that I can continue to forgive those that harm me, knowingly or unknowingly.
I continued to be touched by God's word as I continued my very well needed "quiet time" with Him... and I feel so led to share.
About Marriage
1 Corinthians 7
Now I will discuss the things you wrote me about. It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But because sexual sin is a danger, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. The husband should give his wife all that he owes her as a wife. And the wife should give her husband all that she owes him as her husband. The wife does not have full rights over her own body; her husband shares them. And the husband does not have full rights over his own body; his wife shares them. Do not refuse to give your bodies to each other, unless you both agree to stay away from sexual relations for a time so you can give your time to prayer. Then come together again so Satan cannot tempt you because of a lack of self-control. I say this to give you permission to stay away from sexual relations for a time. It is not a command to do so. I wish that everyone were like me, but each person has his own gift from God. One has one gift, another has another gift. Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for them to stay unmarried as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.
Now I give this command for the married people. (The command is not from me; it is from the Lord.) A wife should not leave her husband, But if she does leave, she must not marry again, or she should make up with her husband. Also the husband should not divorce his wife.
For all the others I say this (I am saying this, not the Lord): If a Christian man has a wife who is not a believer, and she is happy to live with him he must not divorce her. And if a Christian woman has a husband who is not a believer, and he is happy to live with her, she must not divorce him. The husband who is not a believer is made holy through his believing wife. And the wife who is not a believer is made holy through her believing husband. If this were not true, your children would not be clean, but now your children are holy.
But if those who are not believers decide to leave, let them leave. When this happens, the Christian man or woman is free. But God called us to live in peace. Wife, you don't know; maybe you will save your husband. and husband, you don't know; maybe you will save your wife.
Questions About Getting Married
Now I write about people who are not married. I have no command from the Lord about this; I give my opinion. But I can be trusted, because the Lord has shown my mercy. The present time is a time of trouble, so I think it is good for you to stay the way you are. If you have a wife, do not try to become free from her. If you are not married, do not try to find a wife. but if you decide to marry, you have not sinned. and if a girl who has never married decides to marry, she has not sinned. But hose who marry will have trouble in this life, and I want you to be free from trouble.
Brothers and sisters, this is what I mean; We do not have much time left. So starting now, those who have wives should live as if they had no wives. those who are crying should live as if they were not crying. Those who are happy should live as if they were not happy. Those who buy things should live as if they own nothing. Those who use the things of the world should live as if they were not using them, because this world in it's present form will soon be gone.
I want you to be free from worry. A man who is not married is busy with the Lord's work., trying to please the Lord. But a man who is married is busy with things of the world, trying to please his wife. He must think about two things - pleasing his wife and pleasing the Lord. A woman who is not married or a girl who has never married is busy with the Lord's work. She wants to be holy in body and spirit. But a married woman is busy with things of the world, as to how she can please her husband. I am saying this to help you, not to limit you. But I want you to live in the right way to give yourselves fully to the Lord without concern for other things.
If a man thinks he is not doing the right thing with the girl he is engaged to, if she is almost past the best age to marry and he feels he should marry her, he should do what he wants. They should get married. It is no sin. But if a man is sure in his mind that there is no need for marriage, and has his own desires under control, and has decided not to marry the one to whom he is engaged, he is doing the right thing. So the man who marries his girl does right, but the man who does not marry will do better.
A woman must stay with her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry any man she wants, but she must marry in the Lord. the woman is happier if she does not marry again. This is my opinion, but I believe i also have God's Spirit.
How To Use Christian Freedom
"We are allowed to do all things," but all things are not good for us to do. "We are allowed to do all things," but not all things help others grow stronger. Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good of others also.
Eat any meat that is sold in the meat market. Do not ask questions to see if it is meat you think is wrong to eat. You may eat it, "because the earth belongs to the lord, and everything in it."
Those who are not believers may invite you to eat with them. If you want to go, eat anything that is put before you. Do not ask questions to see if you think it might be wrong to eat. But if anyone says to you, "That food was offered to idols," do not eat it. Do not eat it because of that person who told you and because eating it might be thought to be wrong. I don't mean you think it is wrong, but the other person might. But why, you ask, should my freedom be judged by someone else's conscience? If I eat the meal with thankfulness, why am I criticized because of something for which I think God?
The answer is, if you eat or drink, or if you do anything, do it all for the glory of God. Never do anything that might hurt other - Jews, Greeks, or God's church -- just as I, also, try to please everybody in every way. I am not trying to do what is good for me but what is good for most people so they can be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Love does not count up wrongs that have been done.
~ 1 Corinthians 13:5
Don't Keep a List of Wrongs
Do you remember the story about the man who was bitten by the dog? When he learned the dog had rabies, he began making a list. The doctor told him there was no need to make a will, that the rabies could be cured. "Oh, I'm not making a will," he replied. "I'm making a list of all the people I want to bite."
Couldn't we all make such a list? You've already learned, haven't you, that friends aren't always friendly? Neighbors aren't always neighborly? Some workers never work, and some bosses are always bossy?
You've already learned, havent' you, that a promise made is not always a promise kept? Just because someone is called your dad, that doesn't mean we will act like your dad. Even though Even though they said "yes" on the altar, they may say "no" in the marriage.
You've already learned, haven't you, that we tend to fight back? To bite back? To keep lists and snarl lips and growl at people we don't like?
God wants your list. He inspired one servant to write, "love does not count up wrongs that have been done" (1 Corinthians 13:5). He wants us to leave the list at the cross.
Not easy.
"Just look what they did to me!" we defy and point to our hurts.
"Just look what I did for you," he reminds and points to the cross.
Paul said is this way: "If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you" ~ Corinthians 3:13).
You and I are commanded--not urged, commanded--to keep no list of wrongs.
Besides, do you really want to keep one? Do you really want to catalog all your mistreatment's? Do you really want to growl and snap your way through life? God doesn't want you to either. Give up your sins before they infect you and your bitterness before it incites you, and give God your anxiety before it inhibits you. Give God your anxious moments.
QUESTION: Who do you need to forgive before bitterness consumes you?
The passages that I have entered here on this day, have touched my heart very deeply. These are all things that have plagued me since 2013 and before. Many times I have wondered and tortured myself to the point of hospital stays from stress and grief. It took me years to learn how to give my worries, my lists over to God, but I finally came to that point in my life, that only God could handle all my grief, worries and stress on much better level than I ever could alone. He can do all things, better than I ever could in my lifetime. God can do more in a second than we can do for ourselves in a lifetime. I believe that, with all my heart and soul. I am witness of those words.
I have fought with the whole concept of marriage due to my three divorces. I was not perfect in all of them, but for the things that I did wrong, I have repented and asked for forgiveness, for the times that I was wronged, I have asked God to help me forgive. It's all I can keep doing... pray and continue to ask God for His grace and mercy. All marriages ended because Satan fought hard to bring temptation to the marriages, drugs, alcohol, womanizing, affairs, secrets... the list can go on and on, but I won't dwell anymore. All of this has been given to God. Now what I must focus on, is His guidance about my current relationship. I know that God brings people in to our lives for a reason, be it for me to help them grow or me to grow more than what I've come to grow. Either way, I have come to the conclusion that I am to carry my cross, whatever it is, from my past. I will not complain, I have cried enough to fill an ocean in my years since high school. But had it not been for my experiences, I would not be who I am today. I praise God through all of my journeys, my experiences. I am a stronger child of God, a better mother now than I have ever been and I pray that I can continue to live as such. Never to waiver from my path ever again. I remain strong, even at my weakest moments, I will stay focused, I will remain humble, and I will NEVER waiver from my path to God's presence. I can only pray for the same for my children and their children, my grandchildren. My beliefs have been "Spot On" in regards to marriage, but I was not blessed to keep the most important marriage, that with my children's father. I tried to work things out, but God led me away for a reason, he allowed the marriage to dissipate, as well as the remaining two. For the time that I prayed for a marriage to be saved, God was saving me from that specific marriage, I know that now and am blessed all more for it, you see... I survived domestic violence. No matter how you look at it, "I am a Survivor" and it was all through God's Grace and Mercy. For now and my future, I will live my life to serve others. Thank you Lord!
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