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Kindle Notes & Highlights
we shouldn’t place any limits on our willingness to forgive and restore other people.
But God’s unconditional love is an example to us that we should do everything in our power to restore people. We must find the generosity, the patience, the strength to act out of love and give people the help they need to recover.
We have to remind one another of the freedom to fail.
He stands with her, against the crowd.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
It shows that even Paul, the Apostle of Love, let his anger get the better of him from time to time.
How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?” (Matt. 7:3–4).
Even Saint Francis of Assisi warned against thinking he was perfect.
Paul’s message in Galatians 6 is that we human beings are the instruments of that grace. “Don’t get tired of doing what is good,” he writes. “Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time” (v. 9). We’ve already quoted 1 Corinthians: “Love never gives up” (13:7).
Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ,” Paul writes in Galatians 6:2.
But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too” (5:38–39).
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven” (5:43–45). Jesus says that
When you act out of love you are, in this small way, perfect.
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do” (Rom. 12:2).
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect” (4:16–17).
In Romans, he writes: “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up” (14:17–19).
“One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘When will the Kingdom of God come?’ Jesus replied, ‘The Kingdom of God isn’t ushered in with visible signs. You won’t be able to say, “Here it is!” or “It’s over there!” For the Kingdom of God is among you’” (17:20–21).
The King James Version of the Bible interprets the phrase as “within you”—it’s actually found inside ourselves. The kingdom exists when we love one another. We
Governed by love, we live in harmony with one another.
I refuse to label people… God don’t make no junk. —Tammy Faye Bakker
Jesus cared so much about homosexuality that He mentioned it exactly zero times.
“you must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (3:13).
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is “thank you,” it will be enough. —Meister Eckhart
We do well to remember grace when we’re down and out, or feeling that we’ve failed.
Grace can help us keep a level head and cultivate a spirit of generosity toward others when we’re riding high on the hog.
We can’t allow the Christians who have been working at their relationship with God longer than others to get all puffed up with self-righteousness and chase off the newcomers. If you’re a longtimer and you’ve been sweating it out in the fields of faith for years, you should still be grateful for the grace you’ve received. With the proper mind-set, you should even be glad to see people getting it more easily than you did. Grace is a steal at any price.
“God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (1:27 KJV, emphasis added).
