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Bible Question:
Hi, it is me again. I am the one
whose sister refused to listen and married her stepson
. I tried to explain it to her, but she told me that her preacher
told her it was okay, and that they married relatives in the
Bible. She is not a Christian, though she professes to love
God and Jesus. I did not attend the wedding, but I would like
to know how I can be a loving Christian who forgives. I am
sure our paths will cross at family functions. The thought
of seeing them together makes me sick. How should I cope with
this and still be true to God's Word? I do not believe that
people should do whatever makes them happy.
Bible Answer:
You made a great statement when you said people should not
do whatever makes them happy. In Psalms 15, God says the
mark of a person who desires to live a holy life is one who
. . .
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. . . He swears to his own hurt, and does not change
. . .
(NASB) Psalm 15:4
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Christ's Love.
When a man or a woman becomes a Christian, God gives us His
love. He gives us all of it
(1 Peter 1:22
).
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. . . the love of God has been poured out within our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(NASB) Romans 5:5
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When we became Christians, the Holy Spirit entered our lives
(Eph. 1:13; Rom. 8:13) and has given us a greater ability
to love others. So when He asks us to love one another, the
ability to do this is present in our being. Now we ask the
question, why do I not love others like Jesus? It is easy
to say that the reason is due to sin, but that does not give
us any practical steps.
Showing Love.
How can we love? It starts by admitting or confessing to God
that we are loving another person as we should (1 John 1:9).
We need to straighten out our relationship with God first.
If we feel that we have a wrong attitude toward this person,
we need to admit that we are having trouble forgiving that
person. It is not an issue of "bad feelings." It
is a lack of forgiveness for that person.
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And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving
each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven
you.
(NASB) Eph. 4:32
Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord,
how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I
do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy
times seven. (NASB) Matt. 18:21-22
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Jesus even asked us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:43-44). That
means we need to forgive even our enemies.
Conclusion:
Love is an action, but our feelings often prevent us from acting.
Confession and forgiveness are the key to allowing God's
love to flow through us. I would treat your sister with love.
Jesus loves all of us.
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And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time
we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while
we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and
especially to those who are of the household of the
faith.
(NASB) Galatians 6:9-10
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