Word for the day "It's time to confront in love"

I Corinthians 16:13 (NLT) Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. [c] Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.

Living in love relationships can be a very challenging proposition.

Almost every person has at least one person you love, but also deeply resent or have some painful issues with.

It could be a parent, spouse, sibling, boss, a rebellious child, neighbor, friend and sometimes even God.

Who is that person for you? Living in a love-hate relationship isn’t easy. It requires some very complicated and refined coping skills.

The problem, however, is that too many people go on, day after day, merely coping with the situation.

Either they’re unaware that they can do more than cope, or they are unwilling to do what is necessary to move forward constructively.

Those who are resigned to merely cope with the situation are not happy people. Whether they stay in the relationship or leave, they render themselves powerless to change.

They lose faith in the power of God to change the situation. They give up on prayer as a means to facilitate change.

Our love for one another must be authentic and Christ-centered.

How are we to do this? By having authentic, Christ-centered love in our life. In other words, don’t just tolerate each other.

Our love can’t just be superficial; it must be from the heart.

This means resolving our conflicts, forgiving one another, and caring for one another in the same way Christ loves us: with comfort, tenderness, and compassion (Philippians 2:1-4 NIV).

The basis of our love should be a choice. No matter how people treat us, we should and can choose to love.

And the principle attached to our choice to love is how God has loved us (Romans 5:8 NKJV).

Obviously, this is not an easy challenge but it must be confronted, I encourage you today to make every effort to be reconciled in your relationships.

Can you see today how the Lord has encouraged you in painful times? How the Lord has come alongside you and forgiven you?

The Lord has been tenderhearted toward all of us. Our Lord has chosen to love us even at times when we were not worthy of His love (John 3:16 NKJV).

Point to ponder

So, who do you need to be reconciled with today? Ask God to help you through the power of His Spirit to choose to love this person the way the Lord loves you.

The beginning of a solution rests in your decision to take action. It’s time to set some boundaries, and move forward by taking actionable steps: See a counselor.

Join a group. Confront in love, and God will do the rest!

Special thanks!

Pastor James Baker, Jr. and our leadership team is especially thankful for those of you who provided financial donations and support in the month of January 2020, by partnering with us in efforts to advance the kingdom of God in this 21st century season: Special thanks to Mrs. Angela Harrison, Ms. Annette Straker, Mr. David Straker, Mr. Kenneth Washington, Ms. Darlene Simmons,  Ms. Itholear Abbott,  Mrs. Barbara Mason,  Ms. Theresa Lewis, Ms. Rita McGuffin, Ms. Ashley Baker, and Ms. Gertrude Scott.

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Kingdom Blessings,Pastor James Baker Jr.