No. 8
Blue v1-19 Ch 5 Deu
v19 You shall not steal. Ok, that sounds like a good idea 
. Living in California my highschool boyfriend saved $140+ to rent a limo to take me to the prom except one night he left his wallet at his "friends" house who returned it without an idea of knowing where the money went? It was stolen. After asking him about it could tell that it did bother him but since there was nothing he could do about it decided to shake it off and move on...Love and Law are really just saying the same thing a different way (1 Cor 13:13/Gal 5:22-23/Ro 7:12). Love does no harm to its neighbor (Ro 13:10) so it causes mercy (love) to truimph over judgment (law) {Jms 2:13}. Since we've all been guilty in one area or another, time will expose when it was our turn to be the jerk, letting everyone see how much mercy comes our way by the pattern that says to whom mercy is given, mercy will be shown (Jms 2:13). How well someone forgives us is based upon how well we ourself forgive. Sometimes the challenge is in trying to overcome blame, which logically wants to know who played the jerk first because blame sounds responsible because it makes us feel like the person who needs to take responsibility for their actions have been caught and brought to justice. It makes us feel like we are saying that it is not ok to treat me like this, or allow me to approve of craupy behavior, because deep down i don't approve, so if i just forgive you when you haven't repented then this may send the message that you can keep doing this to me without any consequences to you while i'm busy being the doormat. Blame makes us think it is an authentic healer. Yet it is forgiveness that actually stops the cycle. Forgiveness isn't the lack of confrontation. Forgiveness isn't the manipulated, heartless theory (Matt 18:35) of practice that is used by fear to cause us to escape hell. Authentic Forgiveness is a healer. It is a character trait that is coming with the heartfelt desire to rise above less than desirable situations that at times will offer you no control. It is quality decision making to confront offenders, offer an amends, repair what was lost or broken, then be released from it once it's accepted or rejected.
~don't know about you but i kind of like being reminded that there are rules. Think about it, it wasn't just $140 bucks that got ripped off. Whatever hourly wage times however many hours he had to work to save that up got ripped off. Whatever emotions were spent on keeping peace with co-workers got ripped off. However many fair or unfair requests the boss made about going and doing something whether you felt like it or not but had to keep your mouth shut anyway, got ripped off. Whatever joy came to him from knowing he was going to get to take me in a limo (which he saved up again and did), also got ripped off. There is always way more going on when somebody hurts you that this is why we get so mad and feel so powerless? Even blame "the law" because we see "do not steal" or other rules at their face value then mistakingly think that it's the law that puts us into bondage. Well then take the law away and see how well that works. See if you actually like rulelessness, or all this that was described only this time remove the law and now there are no consequences to offenders... No Holds Barred... You're on Your own... Death reigned from Moses to Adam, do what you want.... even though it is more sick than the one who thinks law puts you into bondage. The law is there so that we know and are exposed as being sinful. You're right it cannot save us, it only brings us to justice. Justice feels better than rulelessness. Christ feels better than them all!
It's never too late for a new beginning. The humorous up side of commandment #8 is you will definetly be getting a new beginning... in one way or another.
Comments