I grew up with good teaching. To always do right when we’re wronged. To hold our tongue when we’re angry. To ignore those who gossiped about us. And to be kind to those who relentlessly teased us.
I met my fair share of those boys in grades 7-9: one who made fun of my wardrobe, and another who made fun of looks. I’m not the only one, so many of us have gone through this, and the sad thing is, it doesn’t end at grade nine. There’s always going to be that one person who gets under our skin. Our patience will always be tested and our faith will always be tried.
Whatever the situation, the Bible is clear,
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. (Luke 6:27, NIV)
We don’t love because it feels good, we love because we love God and walk in obedience to His will.
One of the best examples of this (aside from that of Christ of course) is found in Acts chapter 9 where we’re introduced to a man named Ananias.
Before we talk about Ananias however, notice the first verse in that chapter:
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. (Acts 9:1, NIV)
Just a few verses further, we read how the Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision instructing him to go find Saul (Paul). I can’t imagine the fear that Ananias must have faced at that moment, This could have cost him his life, but even so Ananias chose to walk in obedience to God’s will, which led to the conversion and baptism of Paul that very same day.
We never know where our kindness will lead or whose heart we may touch, but we don’t have to know really. All we need to do is to take that courageous first step of kindness and let God take care of the rest.
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Tilling the Soil
Read Acts Chapter 9 where we find the obedience of Ananias and the conversion of Paul.
Planting Hope
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. (Luke 6:27, NIV)
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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
Facebook: @timewarpwife
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife