u/love_is_a_superpower

(John 20:21-23 NKJV) So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

(Proverbs 18:21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

(Matthew 18:21-22) Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Acts 4:32-35
>32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to unite us in truth and love. Jesus promises to be among us when we gather together as members of His body.

(Matthew 18:19-20 ESV)
>19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

When first-century believers received the Holy Spirit, they repented of worldly ways and offered themselves to the Kingdom through baptism in Jesus' name.

Then the Holy Spirit led them to a kind of unity we were meant to have - one family under God, guided by truth and love. People cared for one another so completely, that no one lacked what they could not attain on their own.

The Lord's prayer says, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

In heaven, His will is accomplished through heavenly beings. We who are of the earth can empty ourselves of worldly influence and be earthen vessels for God's glory.

(2 Corinthians 4:6-11 NKJV)
>6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We are the body of Christ; His hands and feet on earth. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Proverbs 14:21
>He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

May we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill His law of love. (Galatians 6:2)

Our Father in heaven,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit of Truth. Thank you for leading us into unity with you and with one another. We ask that you would open our hearts to love You as You deserve, and love our neighbor in a way that proves we know we are one body under You, our merciful Godhead. Let us be Jesus' hands and feet to one another. Jesus said, "all men will know you are My students if you have love for one another. We ask that You would transform our hearts so we can love like You love. In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.

Feel free to post your prayer requests in this thread.

Here’s a short video I made about the importance and power of prayer. It’s filled with inspiring quotes. Hope it blesses and encourages you!

I was reading the parable of the Sower and it made me think that we can't even receive the Word of God if we've already talked ourselves out of listening to our conscience.

"Behold, a sower went out to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the side of the road, and the birds came and devoured them up." (Matthew 13:3-4)

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the wicked one comes, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the side of the road." (Matthew 13:19)

My eureka thought for the day, is that to understand someone means to grasp their logic. If I can follow someone's thought process, I can at least see why it's supported, even if I can't adopt that logic for myself right away.

Jesus' words in Mark 4:13 seem to say the parable of the sower is the mother of all parables. Jesus shows us a parallel in nature to explain to us why we were created, and what our purpose is.

"The Sower plants the Word." In Greek, the "Logos" is not just any word. It's the logic of life. The Lord made us alive and He wants us to stay that way.

Jesus said, in quoting Psalm 82, "Does it not say 'you are gods,' to whom the word of God came? And the Scripture cannot be broken."

God shows us that He has already planted truth in us that has the power to transform us into eternal children of God. A good seed planted into good ground grows a beneficial plant; beneficial to the earth, beneficial to the plant itself, and beneficial to the grower. That tiny seed is our God-given conscience.

The word of God cultivates our conscience. It tames our spirit and our tongue the way Johnny Appleseed transformed the American frontier into a field of food. It transforms our hearts in the same way we train a dog to be a loyal member of our family. (John 7:37-38, Psalm 119:9-16) The parable of the Sower explains things that can go wrong in our thinking, that could hinder us from becoming children of God.

Jesus explains that the Sower is the Son of Man, and the seed is the Word of God. We build the Kingdom of God within us, when we fill ourselves and each other with God's eternal logic.

First, Jesus mentions the seed being scattered by the side of the road. The road represents the hard-hearted way of the world. It's a conscience seared shut. (Matthew 7:13-14, Proverbs 14:12) If we're indoctrinated by the world, and it's ways agree with us just fine, our hearts will be like a hard road that can't receive seed. The Old Testament often refers to people being hard-hearted. That's what happens to us when we accept the world's way of thinking. We work to be a bigger fish, or carry a bigger hammer, or just toughen up to make it through this life. Everything is a competition. (Exodus 7:14, Deuteronomy 15:7-8, Matthew 19:8-9, Mark 3:1-5)

Isaiah 51:12-23 says, "I am going to put the cup of My fury in the hand of them that afflict you, those who said, 'Lay down here so we can walk over you,' and you laid yourself in the ground as the street for them to walk over."

If you have vengeance in your heart today, and your conscience is saying "what else can I do in this dog-eat-dog world other than try to be a bigger dog?," wait on the Lord, and let Him prove that He's good to His word. (Psalm 34:8, 1 Peter 4:19)

More than once, I've cried desperately to God and asked "why?" in the face of suffering. He's been faithful to see me through those times. But has it ever helped to shake my fist at the sky and question if God will really deliver? Not really. The people of Israel in the wilderness continually complained, "Is the Lord with us or not?" (Exodus 17:7, Psalm 95:7-11, Matthew 4:7) God isn't offended with our emotions when things aren't right. Still, accusing Him of doing nothing, when things don't go our way is offensive to Him. When we find ourselves in a trial, or a spiritual waiting room, our obedience is necessary to reap the benefits of good behavior. The Lord deserves our love, trust, and loyalty.

Instead of trying to get our own way in our timing, what if we put our situation in God's hands? I encourage you to respond to the struggles of life the way the Bible says to, and watch what happens. God wants to show you His love for you, and soften your heart. (Deuteronomy 32:35, Luke 18:1-8)

Word to the wise; this is not an experiment for the impatient. Do you want to see God's best for your life? Acting on God's word is a faith-building exercise for those who will choose to patiently, thankfully receive what God has promised.

(Galatians 6:9 NKJV)
>9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

(Luke 21:19 NKJV)
>19 "By your patience possess your souls.

Our Father in heaven,
Thank You for Your eternal truths that make us one with You. Awaken our hearts to seek You earnestly. Show us the ancient paths Your prophets of old took to be near You. Guide us into Your presence and teach us how to love as you love, and forgive as we've been forgiven. Make us worthy of Your Son, so we will not be ashamed at His return. In Jesus' name, Amen.