Jewel - How do you want your music to affect people, or what do you want them to get from it?
Michelle - I must say your questions are very insightful...I think--you should also go into journalism...well, you're already a writer so you can actually say 'been thre, doing that'. Anyway, I want people to hear hope. There was a day where I was feeling really heavy and after work I wanted to have some music minister to me...just like the shepherd boy--David ministered to Saul's emotions...well, I think I finally found some music where the Spirit of God penetrated through the stress and burdens I was experiencing. Afterwards, I felt light and God's love and grace and in turn experienced His promises and numerous benefits.
Michelle's music does help you to find hope as you listen to the words. There are many that I love, so I cannot pick a favorite, you simply have to listen to the entire CD. Come back and read the final answers to this interview.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Words of Encouragement
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. – Matthew 6:14-15
He is Risen, What Next? We can forgive the unforgivable. Sometimes it seems impossible to forgive the mean and hurtful things people say and do to you. This is especially true when those hurting you say they belong to Christ. It is hard to reconcile the things people assume and then speak as if it is truth. I must be honest; this was an area that was very difficult for me. I could not understand the saints saying the mean things they did to me.
I could not understand the hurtful words that come from their mouths, instead of the words that should encourage. I could not understand how do we claim to be Christians and do such mean things. Sometimes the hurt and struggle does not come from outside the church, sometimes the struggle comes right in the midst of the place that should be a place of worship.
Well what does that mean? It means that regardless of what others do, we must be like Christ. It means that when some one lies on us, we must continue to be like Christ. It means that when others would say mean hurtful words, we must continue to be like Christ.
This is not something we can do in our own ability. I could not forgive those that hurt me, lied on me and misused me in my own ability. It took the risen Christ living in me to enable me to do so. It takes the Holy Spirit helping me to be able to forgive the unforgivable. To be able to forgive means you do it, even when the other party may never say a thing, or acknowledge their need for forgiveness.
I pray for us this week that we seek God to help us forgive those that have hurt us, talked about us, lied on us and mistreated us. Help us to show love even though others may not be showing it in return. Jesus showed loved to an angry mob as he hung on the cross. He could have rightly called angels from heaven to stop what was happening, but he knew that it was all to fulfill God’s plan. We must look at the mistreatment of others and ask the same question, what is best for me? Is it best that I move from this area, or is it best that I allow you to bring me through? You’ll find out that God many times wants us to go through because he is using these times to bring about something in us. So let us turn to God when people mistreat us, or do us wrong. If we are not willing to forgive what others have done to us, we then cannot expect God to forgive our sins. For our sins against God is far greater than anything anyone else could do against us.
He is Risen, What Next? We can forgive the unforgivable. Sometimes it seems impossible to forgive the mean and hurtful things people say and do to you. This is especially true when those hurting you say they belong to Christ. It is hard to reconcile the things people assume and then speak as if it is truth. I must be honest; this was an area that was very difficult for me. I could not understand the saints saying the mean things they did to me.
I could not understand the hurtful words that come from their mouths, instead of the words that should encourage. I could not understand how do we claim to be Christians and do such mean things. Sometimes the hurt and struggle does not come from outside the church, sometimes the struggle comes right in the midst of the place that should be a place of worship.
Well what does that mean? It means that regardless of what others do, we must be like Christ. It means that when some one lies on us, we must continue to be like Christ. It means that when others would say mean hurtful words, we must continue to be like Christ.
This is not something we can do in our own ability. I could not forgive those that hurt me, lied on me and misused me in my own ability. It took the risen Christ living in me to enable me to do so. It takes the Holy Spirit helping me to be able to forgive the unforgivable. To be able to forgive means you do it, even when the other party may never say a thing, or acknowledge their need for forgiveness.
I pray for us this week that we seek God to help us forgive those that have hurt us, talked about us, lied on us and mistreated us. Help us to show love even though others may not be showing it in return. Jesus showed loved to an angry mob as he hung on the cross. He could have rightly called angels from heaven to stop what was happening, but he knew that it was all to fulfill God’s plan. We must look at the mistreatment of others and ask the same question, what is best for me? Is it best that I move from this area, or is it best that I allow you to bring me through? You’ll find out that God many times wants us to go through because he is using these times to bring about something in us. So let us turn to God when people mistreat us, or do us wrong. If we are not willing to forgive what others have done to us, we then cannot expect God to forgive our sins. For our sins against God is far greater than anything anyone else could do against us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)