Verse of the Day - Ephesians 4:2

Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.
~ Ephesians 4:2 (NLT)

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You know, in the world, tolerance can be very low for those who don't measure up. Get on board, or get out. There's little room for people who aren't the norm, who fall behind, who don't look or act like the mainstream. And those people, more often than not, get left in the dust.

But God has a different value system in His kingdom, where all members are worthwhile, are valued. So He reminds us that that is how we need to treat others, because we represent Him...we are models of the kingdom.

And when we operate in a God-mode -- with patience, humbleness and love -- it is amazing to see and be a part of. God, as always, does the miraculous! He knits together all manner of people, from all walks of life, from a multitude of different personalities and abilities, into a family. Brothers and sisters who have each other's back and who know we all have quirks, but it's accepted because we're family.

Our individual responsibility to be Christ-like makes the difference on the community level. But beware of self, who loves to put others down, to be the center of attention, to do what it wants when it want. That's a family killer, and a billboard for hypocrisy, keeping unbelievers from ever wanting to have anything to do with faith in the Lord.

Love one another. That manifests itself in being humble, overlooking faults, being gentle...just to name a few. As Jesus loves us and is all these things and more to us, we need to model those things to others. And not just to those in the family of God, but perhaps more importantly, to those who don't have a concept of who God is, and who operate in the world-mode. Show the world the God-mode and what He's really like...His amazing love, His deliberate grace, His unending mercy.

Be a billboard that makes the world stop and take notice. Love has a funny way of doing that!:-)

Love,
Joelene

Verse of the Day - Proverbs 22:24-25

Keep away from angry, short-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul. ~ Proverbs 22:24-25 (NLT)

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I just spent an hour working on this VOTD today (in e-mail), and then I hit "backspace" one too many times, and lost everything! Talk about anger! Sheesh... why didn't I "save as a draft"...

But perhaps God didn't need me to expound on His word today. And I'm out of time now, so I'll leave you with a few other verses I'd referenced and some random thoughts...

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."~ 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

Like strawberries or bread that gets moldy, anger is contagious and will infect others.

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. ~ Psalm 86:15

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ~ Ephesians 5:1-2

If we are God's children, we need to take note of God's ways and how He deals with issues, and imitate Him.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ~ James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Tempo seems to be the key. Quick to listen. Slow to speak. Slow to become angry. James indicates that we have control over how we react. We need to practice a godly response to people and situations, so that anger doesn't take root, like a nasty weed, populating the whole garden with unwanted junk.

Anger is a control issue -- we want to be in control, and things just don't always go our way. It can be used as a manipulative tool to get what we want -- temper tantrums often work to our advantage, even in adults. But it backfires...in our health, in our relationships. Infectious diseases can kill if left untreated, and anger is no exception. Question: Who's in control...? Us, or God?

I pray that we can relinquish control to God in our circumstances, and not allow ourselves to succumb to anger. It's just a bad apple waiting to spoil the whole bunch!

Love,
Joelene