A long time"friend" would ask me how things were going with me and the family and when I started to tell her things she would jump in with things about her or her kids and always made me to feel as if what I had to say was not important. A couple of years ago after not contacting her for a whole year I meet up with her again and I told her how she made me feel and she apologised. Then late last year she wanted to meet up for a coffee and she asked what was happening and I managed to say that I had started to write poetry when she saw a person she knew and went to chat with them and then went inside to see his wife. She came back ou to me and then the friend who I also knew came out to say hello to me. My "friend" then proceeded to talk to her for about half an hour and it was a conversation that I could not be included in as I didn't know what they were talking about. I said I had to go so we never met up and I had decided that that was the end of the "friendship". This was confirmed to me when she messaged me a couple of days later and said that we are on different paths and it was time I got back to walking with God and it wasn't time to be writing Poetry with everything that was going on in the world. What she didn't hear was that after I was given a challenge God had given me the inspiration for the poems I wrote and then for extra ones once the challenge was finished. I just ignored the message and never answered it. I deleted it and took her off my phone list. A couple of months later I was questioning my walk with God and felt that God said I needed to forgive her for the way she made me feel, and for questioning my choices which were God led. Since then I have had a peace and no contact with her. I believe what I did was the right decision and I have to trust her to God and what he may or may not want to do about this situation. I haven't had any regrets since really forgiving her and asking God to forgive me for allowing her to make me feel belittled.
That was a great walk Donny. The scripture that comes to me is “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.” Matt 5:44
May 25, 2023·edited May 25, 2023Liked by Donny Mac
Hey Donny ~ The subconscious defense mechanism of anger has always popped up in my life when I've been wronged. I've often used it to feel more powerful in the situation. I've always had a wicked tongue. Now that I'm older I'm somewhat calmer & I believe in 1 Peter 4:19 "So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." I love Mother Teresa's quote about that too -- that it's not about them; it's always been about God. I'm still working on the Forgiveness part and curbing my tongue. It took me 10 years to forgive my ex-brother-in-law for cheating on my sister -- and our family. But, I am now willing to search out some Bible verses to help me forgive a lot sooner. Thanks, Jan xoxo
To forgive after being unjustly wronged is a very hard thing. I find that scripture tells us to go to that person and "tell him his fault". If we don't do that, we don't give the opportunity for them to correct their behavior. It may lead to reconciliation and it may not. If not, then we are called to forgive just as Jesus forgave those who unjustly wronged him. There is one person in my life that I approached about wronging me even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. Their response was not one of humble apology or a desire for reconciliation, so at that point I just had to give it to God. But there are still times I want to take the hurt back and have to remind myself of Jesus' words, "Father, forgive them...." I have to trust that God has a much better sense of justice than I do. And I always think that on the grand scale of eternity this situation is a tiny blip that will not matter for whit or even be remembered when I see God face to face if I have done what He called me to do. Thanks for another beautiful walk and for sharing your heart as always.
Beautiful walk. Had a great walk in Beacon Hill Park whilst I'm visiting Victoria. Was very therapeutic for me and was so grateful full the sunshine and happiness I felt as I explored the park. I could feel God with me as I took in the beauty of nature. So thankful to be able to experience that.
This was a beautiful prayer walk Donny. Thank you. I have always looked to 1John 2:3-6 as my guide. “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says “I know Him” but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word God’s love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” Although I cannot completely control the actions of others, my actions and responses can escalate rather than de escalate a situation. I am solely responsible for my actions. A Christian response will hopefully serve as an example. Is it easy to do the right thing when wronged? Definitely not always. ❤️. Thoughts of payback do enter my mind. Prayer hopefully chases them away. 🙏 I view Scripture as an educational tool. What better way to learn about Jesus and eternity than through scriptures. The difficult part is often getting people to wholly trust them as the Word of God. That is where welcoming and witness are essential. Thank you once again for your inspiration and God bless you on your journey.
Donny great subject to research God’s word for answers. Mine is I pray for those who wrong me that God will reach them and my fight has become God’s. My only job is to love them. Show mercy. Like David I don’t know if the person I’m at odds with is anointed by God and if I’m at odds I’m not showing I could be the anointed one. Saul desired to kill David but when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, he chose not to. David obeyed God.
I Samuel 24:10
“Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’”
Only now I was able to watch the video calmly. This walk was short but profound in its message as we are living in a world full of injustices.
When you said, “sometimes people throw scripture at people, especially those who claim to follow Jesus Christ” it reminded me of the book of James, especially chapter 2, when James addresses a group of believers to exhort about partiality.
Well, the Bible has a lot to say on this topic:
Proverbs 20:23 “Two weights are an abomination to the LORD, and a false scale is not good.”
Leviticus 19:15 “Do not do wrong in a judgment; do not favor the poor or try to please the great…”
There are many other verses that give us an idea of how much God disapproves of injustice, but for me, the book of Isaiah best represents this context for everything that was experienced at that time.
“Therefore justice withdrew, and justice stood afar off; because the truth is stumbling through the squares and righteousness cannot enter. Yes, the truth is gone, and anyone who strays from evil is treated as prey. The LORD saw this and was indignant at the lack of justice ′′ - Isaiah 59:14;15.
Injustice is something so close to Brazilians' daily lives. Brazil could be such an incredible country, because nature is so favorable to us, but injustice has a lot of space in our society, political corruption, the highest tax burdens in the world, anyway. maybe that's why I quoted the book of Isaiah.
Injustice has and always will have a “bitter taste”, it is not easy to be wronged, but I have tried to look at the justice of God, because only He is perfectly fair. There is no injustice in God and his deeds, He is the ultimate standard of what is just and right.
May 25, 2023·edited May 25, 2023Liked by Donny Mac
Donny, this is a great subject. I went to the New Testament to 2 Timothy Chapters 3 and 4. Paul is speaking to Timothy and warning him of the last days and how he he was persecuted, etc. Even though Paul was persecuted, he let God be the judge for he knew he would spend eternity with God. If I believe someone has wronged me, I believe God is the one who will judge them. God knows or knows their heart better than I do. Plus, I'm not God and don't claim to be; therefore, I should not be the one to condemn or place judgment on them. Ecclesiastes 3:17 (NLT) - "In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds."
What I can and try to do is pray for them. It's also told we are to love all people including our enemies. I believe that is in Matthew 5:44 (NLT) - "But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"
I think the verses that stood out to me were 2 Timothy 4:14-18 (NLT) - "Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we had. The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was with me. Everyone had abandoned me. I hope it will not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength, that I might preach the Good News in all its fullness for all the Gentiles to hear. And he saved me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) - "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do."
Last Saturday, I was at the hair salon, and my beautician had some questions as to whether she was saved or not. It was busy for a Saturday, but we talked for a few minutes. I did not judge or condemn her for having doubts and fears, but what I was able to do in the moment God provided in a busy place was to share my testimony. I have not had the opportunity to do that in years, and towards the end of the conversation, I asked if I could pray for and with her for the assurance of her salvation and her heart. She mentioned it's so busy and what would people think. My answer was simply, let them come to me and persecute me and tell me to stop. No one did. Every one went about their business, but in that quiet moment with just the two of us, God led me to openly pray for her. It was as like you could not hear anyone else around, but all I could hear and feel was God's presence. It was one of those moments I'll remember for a long time. It was all God and one of those "divine appointments" I've often referred to. Thank you for letting me share that with the community.
"Why not be defrauded and suffer through it like Christ did?"
Big question with big answers. Each one of us has been dealt a dirty hand, and each one of us has dealt with the situation differently. Allow me to divulge.
Long ago when I was very broke and just hanging on I was commuting to work on a bicycle and was hit from behind. The driver gave me a ride the rest of the way to work with the promise of paying for repairs.
Of course she broke her promise and walked away from responsibility. I used the small claims court to go after her. The courts provided justice in this case.
I must ask would it have been right to roll over and let it go? I had no money to fix the thing, is that OK to not go after her and I walk everywhere for the next 6 months while saving up to fix the bike? Is not the legal system provided by God to right wrongs? To hold people accountable?
The question above in quotes is not a simple one, and I believe has answers with many facets. It simply is case dependent.
The question rephrased, "Under what circumstances is it OK to not let someone get away with doing you harm?" may be a more appropriate way to approach this subject.
Do you know how many times Jesus answered a question with a question???
Just had to throw that out there, cause you mentioned that today was a lot of questions!!! I honestly don’t have a number of how many times Jesus did that! But it was a lot, especially when the religious leaders confronted him.
I think back to when I left the Amish and I was questioning and confronted and told how terrible it was and I was going to hell; many times the answer was a question about a verse or passage about the Word. It was very effective.
Anyway I’m light of eternity:::: “vengeance is mine says the Lord”. The Lord reminds me of that a lot when I’m wronged or I see wrong being done. Then I look at the many times God took care of someone doing the wrong; and I’m like they are way worse off in God’s hands then mine.
A long time"friend" would ask me how things were going with me and the family and when I started to tell her things she would jump in with things about her or her kids and always made me to feel as if what I had to say was not important. A couple of years ago after not contacting her for a whole year I meet up with her again and I told her how she made me feel and she apologised. Then late last year she wanted to meet up for a coffee and she asked what was happening and I managed to say that I had started to write poetry when she saw a person she knew and went to chat with them and then went inside to see his wife. She came back ou to me and then the friend who I also knew came out to say hello to me. My "friend" then proceeded to talk to her for about half an hour and it was a conversation that I could not be included in as I didn't know what they were talking about. I said I had to go so we never met up and I had decided that that was the end of the "friendship". This was confirmed to me when she messaged me a couple of days later and said that we are on different paths and it was time I got back to walking with God and it wasn't time to be writing Poetry with everything that was going on in the world. What she didn't hear was that after I was given a challenge God had given me the inspiration for the poems I wrote and then for extra ones once the challenge was finished. I just ignored the message and never answered it. I deleted it and took her off my phone list. A couple of months later I was questioning my walk with God and felt that God said I needed to forgive her for the way she made me feel, and for questioning my choices which were God led. Since then I have had a peace and no contact with her. I believe what I did was the right decision and I have to trust her to God and what he may or may not want to do about this situation. I haven't had any regrets since really forgiving her and asking God to forgive me for allowing her to make me feel belittled.
That was a great walk Donny. The scripture that comes to me is “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.” Matt 5:44
Hey Donny ~ The subconscious defense mechanism of anger has always popped up in my life when I've been wronged. I've often used it to feel more powerful in the situation. I've always had a wicked tongue. Now that I'm older I'm somewhat calmer & I believe in 1 Peter 4:19 "So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." I love Mother Teresa's quote about that too -- that it's not about them; it's always been about God. I'm still working on the Forgiveness part and curbing my tongue. It took me 10 years to forgive my ex-brother-in-law for cheating on my sister -- and our family. But, I am now willing to search out some Bible verses to help me forgive a lot sooner. Thanks, Jan xoxo
Jesus said, but I say unto you,”Love your enemies................
To forgive after being unjustly wronged is a very hard thing. I find that scripture tells us to go to that person and "tell him his fault". If we don't do that, we don't give the opportunity for them to correct their behavior. It may lead to reconciliation and it may not. If not, then we are called to forgive just as Jesus forgave those who unjustly wronged him. There is one person in my life that I approached about wronging me even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. Their response was not one of humble apology or a desire for reconciliation, so at that point I just had to give it to God. But there are still times I want to take the hurt back and have to remind myself of Jesus' words, "Father, forgive them...." I have to trust that God has a much better sense of justice than I do. And I always think that on the grand scale of eternity this situation is a tiny blip that will not matter for whit or even be remembered when I see God face to face if I have done what He called me to do. Thanks for another beautiful walk and for sharing your heart as always.
Beautiful walk. Had a great walk in Beacon Hill Park whilst I'm visiting Victoria. Was very therapeutic for me and was so grateful full the sunshine and happiness I felt as I explored the park. I could feel God with me as I took in the beauty of nature. So thankful to be able to experience that.
This was a beautiful prayer walk Donny. Thank you. I have always looked to 1John 2:3-6 as my guide. “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says “I know Him” but does not do what He commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word God’s love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” Although I cannot completely control the actions of others, my actions and responses can escalate rather than de escalate a situation. I am solely responsible for my actions. A Christian response will hopefully serve as an example. Is it easy to do the right thing when wronged? Definitely not always. ❤️. Thoughts of payback do enter my mind. Prayer hopefully chases them away. 🙏 I view Scripture as an educational tool. What better way to learn about Jesus and eternity than through scriptures. The difficult part is often getting people to wholly trust them as the Word of God. That is where welcoming and witness are essential. Thank you once again for your inspiration and God bless you on your journey.
Donny great subject to research God’s word for answers. Mine is I pray for those who wrong me that God will reach them and my fight has become God’s. My only job is to love them. Show mercy. Like David I don’t know if the person I’m at odds with is anointed by God and if I’m at odds I’m not showing I could be the anointed one. Saul desired to kill David but when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, he chose not to. David obeyed God.
I Samuel 24:10
“Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’”
I Samuel 24:10 NKJV
Only now I was able to watch the video calmly. This walk was short but profound in its message as we are living in a world full of injustices.
When you said, “sometimes people throw scripture at people, especially those who claim to follow Jesus Christ” it reminded me of the book of James, especially chapter 2, when James addresses a group of believers to exhort about partiality.
Well, the Bible has a lot to say on this topic:
Proverbs 20:23 “Two weights are an abomination to the LORD, and a false scale is not good.”
Leviticus 19:15 “Do not do wrong in a judgment; do not favor the poor or try to please the great…”
There are many other verses that give us an idea of how much God disapproves of injustice, but for me, the book of Isaiah best represents this context for everything that was experienced at that time.
“Therefore justice withdrew, and justice stood afar off; because the truth is stumbling through the squares and righteousness cannot enter. Yes, the truth is gone, and anyone who strays from evil is treated as prey. The LORD saw this and was indignant at the lack of justice ′′ - Isaiah 59:14;15.
Injustice is something so close to Brazilians' daily lives. Brazil could be such an incredible country, because nature is so favorable to us, but injustice has a lot of space in our society, political corruption, the highest tax burdens in the world, anyway. maybe that's why I quoted the book of Isaiah.
Injustice has and always will have a “bitter taste”, it is not easy to be wronged, but I have tried to look at the justice of God, because only He is perfectly fair. There is no injustice in God and his deeds, He is the ultimate standard of what is just and right.
Thanks for the walk!
Donny, this is a great subject. I went to the New Testament to 2 Timothy Chapters 3 and 4. Paul is speaking to Timothy and warning him of the last days and how he he was persecuted, etc. Even though Paul was persecuted, he let God be the judge for he knew he would spend eternity with God. If I believe someone has wronged me, I believe God is the one who will judge them. God knows or knows their heart better than I do. Plus, I'm not God and don't claim to be; therefore, I should not be the one to condemn or place judgment on them. Ecclesiastes 3:17 (NLT) - "In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds."
What I can and try to do is pray for them. It's also told we are to love all people including our enemies. I believe that is in Matthew 5:44 (NLT) - "But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"
I think the verses that stood out to me were 2 Timothy 4:14-18 (NLT) - "Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we had. The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was with me. Everyone had abandoned me. I hope it will not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength, that I might preach the Good News in all its fullness for all the Gentiles to hear. And he saved me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) - "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do."
Last Saturday, I was at the hair salon, and my beautician had some questions as to whether she was saved or not. It was busy for a Saturday, but we talked for a few minutes. I did not judge or condemn her for having doubts and fears, but what I was able to do in the moment God provided in a busy place was to share my testimony. I have not had the opportunity to do that in years, and towards the end of the conversation, I asked if I could pray for and with her for the assurance of her salvation and her heart. She mentioned it's so busy and what would people think. My answer was simply, let them come to me and persecute me and tell me to stop. No one did. Every one went about their business, but in that quiet moment with just the two of us, God led me to openly pray for her. It was as like you could not hear anyone else around, but all I could hear and feel was God's presence. It was one of those moments I'll remember for a long time. It was all God and one of those "divine appointments" I've often referred to. Thank you for letting me share that with the community.
Thank you so much for the questions you ask, the walks and just overall kindness you give unconditional. ♥️
"Why not be defrauded and suffer through it like Christ did?"
Big question with big answers. Each one of us has been dealt a dirty hand, and each one of us has dealt with the situation differently. Allow me to divulge.
Long ago when I was very broke and just hanging on I was commuting to work on a bicycle and was hit from behind. The driver gave me a ride the rest of the way to work with the promise of paying for repairs.
Of course she broke her promise and walked away from responsibility. I used the small claims court to go after her. The courts provided justice in this case.
I must ask would it have been right to roll over and let it go? I had no money to fix the thing, is that OK to not go after her and I walk everywhere for the next 6 months while saving up to fix the bike? Is not the legal system provided by God to right wrongs? To hold people accountable?
The question above in quotes is not a simple one, and I believe has answers with many facets. It simply is case dependent.
The question rephrased, "Under what circumstances is it OK to not let someone get away with doing you harm?" may be a more appropriate way to approach this subject.
Matt 5:45
That you may be the children of the Father which is in Heaven
Thank you, Donny.
Do you know how many times Jesus answered a question with a question???
Just had to throw that out there, cause you mentioned that today was a lot of questions!!! I honestly don’t have a number of how many times Jesus did that! But it was a lot, especially when the religious leaders confronted him.
I think back to when I left the Amish and I was questioning and confronted and told how terrible it was and I was going to hell; many times the answer was a question about a verse or passage about the Word. It was very effective.
Anyway I’m light of eternity:::: “vengeance is mine says the Lord”. The Lord reminds me of that a lot when I’m wronged or I see wrong being done. Then I look at the many times God took care of someone doing the wrong; and I’m like they are way worse off in God’s hands then mine.