Some of us have tried to communicate the truth of Jesus, salvation by grace, eternal security in Him, His acceptance of us based on His love for us, not our performance, our unity as sisters and brothers IN CHRIST, despite some conflicts, (we're still just people, we still make mistakes, but we're still loved), etc.,
And when the truths of the only wise God our Savior are being brought forth, the unloyal opposition tends to rear it's ugly head and try to cause chaos, doubt and confusion.
We do still have an enemy out there that wants to destroy us, (and still thinks he can, though our Jesus has already won the victory and gives it to us, never forget that), and because we discuss alot of things, our various personal weaknesses can get exposed, and the enemy knows how to exploit them.
Such as......
This one gets angry easy, lets push his or her button in debate......
This one struggles with loneliness, lets make them feel isolated or ignored......
This one is struggling financially, or isn't employed, lets make him feel inadequate by having others discuss their vacations or fun adventures on the job......
This one struggles with lust, or a broken marriage, or some unsavory background relationshipwise....well, you can just bet there's gonna be a bunch of threads about gays and lesbians, or adultery, or cheating......
Someone suffers from depression, or the loss of a pet has them down? Be sure there's going to be a run of happy pet pics they'll be seeing for a time.
Yeah, the enemy is ruthless, and we all have our vulnerabilities, and when we feel those weaknesses are being taken advantage of, our defenses can go up, and we tend to take things out on our siblings who we CAN see, rather than the real culprit, the unseen enemy of our souls.
That's why it's so important to be ready to forgive, reconcile, pray for and with each other, and encourage each other into the joy of salvation in Christ our Savior...HE's our Rock, HE's our Shield, HE's our Mighty Fortress, and thanks to Him, nothing can ultimately harm us.
He really does love us, He really is keeping us, and He really is bringing us to an expected end, in His Father's house...Our Father's house, Praise the Lord!
So along the way we'll have our differences. Hey, just don't let the sun go down on your anger. The sun rises again, our Lord comes with healing in his wings, His mercies are new every morning, and great is His faithfulness.
He tells us not to let our hearts be troubled, have His peace, and rejoice because He washed away all our sins with His blood on the cross, rose from the grave, and wrote our names in heaven. HE did that! All that and more!
Hallelujah to the Lamb who was and is and is to come, the great I Am, the Holy One of Israel, He is worthy to receive all honor and praise, the Alpha and Omega, our great God and King, the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
Lord please bless everyone who comes to CChat, whether to visit or stay, bless us all in Jesus' wonderful name, we thank you for all your love, Lord Jesus. Amen.
(All that and cookies, too?!) Praise the Lord!