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"Don't be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you." Isaiah 43:1'2 WEB... -
The Day of Small Things from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. As with many of my messages, this was a word for me, but I will share it with you as I found it encouraging. I have been building a new social media website for Refreshing Hope behind the scenes for months. It is a massive undertak...
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Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he was about to come. Then he said to them, "The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send ou...
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The Untouchables
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When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, 'Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.' Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, 'I want to. Be made clean.' Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1 WEB
Jesus touched the untouchables. Lepers and those with various diseases were considered 'unclean' and avoided. If you touched them, then you became unclean yourself. Jesus loved them, He touched them, and He healed them. The leper in the verse above said 'Lord, if You want to, You can make me clean' and Jesus touched him and said 'I want to.' It is so beautiful to read about Him doing that, but what if we had the chance?
We are His hands and feet on the earth and I have found that He will put the untouchables right in your path today, and they will snuggle up to you so that you can love them. We have had the Lord put people into our life as a test, and as long as we resisted, they persisted. Then as soon as we submitted and loved them back, they left.
My wife Sylvia and I once attended a church where I was playing in the praise team and she was seated in the sanctuary. Now Sylvia is one of the sweetest people that I ever met, but she loves her 'personal space' and though I smoked for a decade twenty years ago, it now makes me nauseous and gives me a headache when I am around it. So I try and avoid smoke as much as possible.
Soon a lady began attending our church and started sitting right beside us. She joined the intercessory prayer team and every group that we were a part of. We began to feel that God had broken out the sandpaper. She wore furry long haired coats and smoked like a locomotive. The smoke would permeate every fiber of her clothing and hair and made them sticky with resin. She loved to sit tightly beside you, throw her arm around you, and would completely envelope you in an overwhelming mixture of smoke and intense perfume.
She was as clingy as silk on a winter morning, and when she embraced you, feelings of nausea, light headedness, mild suffocation and panic would wash over you, leaving you with the thought that you had licked an ash tray, and the feeling that you were covered in christmas tree sap. After the first experience, people tended to shy away from her loving embraces.
As I watched from the stage, I could see Sylvia leaning further and further away, and the overly nice lady leaning in closer and closer until they were almost prone on the chairs. She stuck to Sylvia like a magnet, even following her to the bathroom. She considered Sylvia her new BFF, and there was no escape. Months went by.
Eventually we just gave up, surrendered to God, and hugged her back just as enthusiastically as she hugged us. We met her at the door and gave her a bear hug time she came in the church. We picked her up at her house and brought her to church with us. We took her out to eat and got to know her. Overall she was a sweet person. Soon the time passed, and she was gone from our lives.
God will put the unlovable right in front of you and then ask you to love them anyway. My heart goes out to the people that experience this, but as you walk with God, you will probably face this test. I have heard others share a similar testimony. Jesus touched the lepers, the sick, the lame, the unloved, even His enemies, and He allowed people to touch Him back (Matt. 8:3, Matt. 20:34, Luke 22:51, Mark 5:27, Luke 7:39, Luke 18:15). When God places an unlovable person in your life, be nice and love them back. It works.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me and ask that You help me to love others. Put Your love in me for mine is lacking. Let me see people through Your eyes and give me the grace to love them as You do, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
Note: Good morning! Today we would like to welcome our newest member blogger, Pastor Marty Pena! To learn about our bloggers and read their articles, just go to the blogs page on the site menu, or to this link: http://www.refreshinghope.org/pages/bloggers. You can also subscribe to any blogger from this page. Have a blessed day!
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Amen! I feel being a waitress is a ministry and God has had me love the unlovable for years,yet there is always someone who will test my "affection" for them! It only strengthens me when I get past the "fragrance" and show God's love to them!
I can't imagine doing your job!!! Ya know the toughest part of being mentally challanged?? Yes eating in public!! It all starts with the waitress!!! Most are not that kind. Most gossip like its the norm, cool!! I recall seeing the waitresses whisper to each other them deciding who would take Me!! Back than and in My bes now! It hurts so deep being avoided talked about!! Aside of every thing!! Tear-I'm a Veteran!! I love to talk so much usualy! But as its been for quite some time, I find myself at home safe!! I got it from MY Father hating to be lied too!! Thats rough its a sketchie world the norm is lying!! Wha a testemony! Aside of all that I was very cut, built- put that with a hard face--hum, Irish?? There's a story lady!!! God Bless You and your job!!!
Thank you. And I know what you mean . I felt early on that God put me where I am and to do what I do. People can be mean and cruel, not only to customers but fellow co-workers as well. There has been times when I was so persecuted , being a Christian , that I felt like quitting. But, God would gently help me through and strengthen me so I could shine His light in this dark world. Now, I feel I'm being rewarded for my diligence. There's a whole bunch of new employees with integrity and kindness. Honest people who are a pleasure to work with and treat the customers well! I'm glad I endured !! :)
Thank you for this Pastor Todd.
Not everyone smells pleasant, nor does everyone look pleasant. Bless their heart, you gotta love them!
Amen!
Whoa--what a teaching!! I'm around a person, who is Him. Quite different-- I never knew He had been this way the longest! I often thought it was a act. 5-6 years or more, His father tells Me he has a head issue, since young!! I told Him why didn't you tell me years ago!! Amazing My ways Gods ways in Me, have kept me able to work around him at all!! Lil love understanding, over looking helpfullness!! Also I had been a very rough individual myself at a time!! Years of mental unrest, spacie, rough memory, depressed, I was a work all right!! I openly told them I was hurt, how far I've grown from it!! Oh ya they took Me wrong like Man does!! Once you throw your cards on the table, no picking them back up!! To be kind understanding help full-is a Blessing! Realism is beautifull!!! thanks pastor.. Oh hum I still smoke.. I realize the bad sides of it.. Hum knowing the oder, it keeps Me at bay from people.. Funny-daw from pain and suffereing, caused by mans sick ways, I'll say it, I don't always realy jes love people!! very deep set hurt!! So shame full the majority of society will make fun of, delibrately hurt the disadvantaged!!! I lived the life of that hurt person for too long! It greived Me the way people can be! I had told myself never for get this experience!!The only real differeance I found was in true Christains-- yes! Praise God for His all!!!
I am a nurse and have had to be around, bathe, and care for the bodily functions of some pretty disgusting situations. I praise the Lord that He has given me the ability or whatever it is to endure the sights and odors involved. However, there are other people that, God forgive me, I have a real struggle being in their presence.....such as those who are very judgemental of others and think they are always right, esp when it comes to matters of faith, then they do things themselves that are just plain wrong. Another type are those that are excessively loud and dominating of conversations and say really inappropriate things in mixed groups of people. So......we are all challenged to love as Jesus did and boy is it hard sometimes. Then I wonder what things I do that make others uncomfortable??? As usual Pastor, thanks for giving us something to think about and strive for in our growth in the Lord!!
Thank you, Pastor Dion, for this timely personal perspective and prayer! I'm a teacher...enough said. I pray the Lord opens my eyes and heart to love these kids and parents as He Loves them. God has placed a few challenging ones in my path. Pray that they'll see and feel Jesus' love in my touch.
Amen! Thank you pastor Dion for todays devotion. :-) Todays devotion brought back so many memories. I thoughgt about my mom fist thing she smokes most of her life. She quit after she retired from working at the court house. I was so thankful and we was all so blessed she lost her sister to lung cancer. Everyone in the family quit smoking after she passed and mom didn't.
I understand about the overwhelming mixture of smoke and intense perfume. I have problems too with strong cleaning products. I also have asthma for many years of my life. When I get around a smell that I can't take my asthma starts to act up and i'm done for the day. It makes you weak once you get an atttack then use your Proventil so many times. That makes your heart race super fast. It really hard for me to deal wth all of that and I have to walk away from it or it could put me in the ER. You know my husband has asthma too and bad allergies he would get shots every week for many years of our marriage. His worse bad allergy is to shelled fish we can't even be aroung it while being cooked. I can't put it in the frig. either. I just stopped eatting it after taking him to the ER any times because his throat was closing off. I keep liquid benadryl close at all times when I know we might come near it. He had many of the epipens but the date on them don't last long at all. So we know what to do now and we are always ready to help him as fast as we can. Amen. <3
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me and ask that You help me to love others. Put Your love in me for mine is lacking. Let me see people through Your eyes and give me the grace to love them as You do, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. <3
Amen God let people be kind to each other. Amen
Amen! Pastors prayer, Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me and ask that you help me to love others. Put your love in me for mine is lacking. Let me see people Through Your Eyes and give me the grace to love them as you do, in the name of Jesus Christ. Pray Amen!!
Amen Lord.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me and ask that You help me to love others. Put Your love in me for mine is lacking. Let me see people through Your eyes and give me the grace to love them as You do, in the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Amen, help me Lord , to love others dearly as you love me
Amen.Heavenly Father I give you thanks for loving me unconditionally even when I have not been very loveable.I have cried out to you,and seeked your guidance when I have struggled in my life with people who showed me little or no love.I give you Praise and thanks giving for teaching me so much through these people.Help me to continue to see others as you see them,and to love them with an unconditional Love.By your Grace and Mercy.I ask for your wisdom in things I do not understand.In The Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Thank you Pastor Todd for this devotion and prayer.