Caryl Booker

If you liked this post, check out more from Caryl Booker.

Happy New Year!!

This year has started off with new students, a new school and a diet change in part to a fast that I participated in with my church. During this month of fasting, I discovered some hideous things about myself that until now I didn’t think was so bad.  I had some challenges during the month that made me realize that I eat certain foods emotionally.  Yes I found out that I eat emotionally!! The bad thing about emotional eating is that whenever I would get hurt I would crave something sweet or greasy to ease the hurt feeling rather than just allowing God’s word alone to bring healing to the situation.  So I discovered a lot of hurt in my life that I didn’t think existed that I am grateful to deal with only God’s word to bring healing.  Once such example is how people treat me. 

Whenever I felt like I was being disrespected or not treated properly I would think these people needed to learn how to walk in love. So I would pray for them to treat me the way God would have them treat me.  I actually thought that I was a better person because I thought I walked in love better than those people did.  Which isn’t the case.  During the new change of eating that didn’t allow for my emotional eating, I found out that I was the one looking at others failures and being really touchy, resentful, and taking counts of suffered wrongs which is not applying and doing opposite of 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7  and is definitely not submitting to the word of God resisting the Devil and letting him flee from me. (James 4:7)

  How I treat my neighbor is more important than how they treat me.  I am in charge of my own salvation, and how I live this life.  The main difference between Christians and the world is the presence of God.  Even Moses said in Exodus 33:15-16  “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

The presence of the Lord brings the ability to love people no matter what and His presence in us is greater than he that is in the world and distinguishes us from the world.  In this day and time that we live with fear of murders, robberies and failures, people are increasingly becoming lovers of themselves and this attitude is trying to make its way in the life of many believers.  Those who believe God and have received His presence will enter into rest.  Looking at Exodus 33:14 God said “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Believers are people who believe God for everything from protection and provision all the way to what hair color they want to put in their hair because of the relationship they have with the Father through Jesus Christ.  Believers are people that will willingly and selflessly sacrifice loving themselves to love their neighbors as they love themselves. Doing that is being like Jesus, with the love sacrifice He made for us, which shows the world that we are His because His presence is with us. 

There is a song called  They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love and parts of the verse says 

 Love is patient, love is kind
Never boasts, not full of pride

Always hopes, always trusts

The evidence of Christ in us. 

The Scripture I want to leave with you is 1 Corin 13:4-7 and it says

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

 

Enjoy your day!!