Faithbase

Hey faith-based friends and family blessings to you today. I have a small challenge just to encourage you. I want to make sure that we as the body use the appropriate contextual understanding for Scripture. Make sure we're interpreting it correctly. I just sometimes hear people quote a Scripture like, it's just time to brush the dirt off of our feet. Meaning it's time to write someone off. Right? Tell them no more. I'm done with you. It's over. When really I think the Scripture that we need to cling to is the Matthew 18 where it says to forgive your brother 70 times 7 which isn't a literal number just means keep on forgiving. And I say that as one who there's times where I realize oh wow I said I forgave that person and then I brought it back up. Maybe I didn't even speak it but I brought it back up in my mind. The list existed in my metaphorical back pocket. And so when we're called to forgive it's a continuous action. Keep forgiving. I've shared before but I think I was about 38 when I realized I had been harboring like bitterness in my heart toward my high school soccer coach for over 20 years. Isn't that incredible? It's sad right? He didn't know. He didn't care. You know my bitterness and my anger resentment whatever it was it wasn't affecting him. It's like that adage you might have heard where you you drink poison and you expect it to affect the other person. So I encourage you keep forgiving. Process in your heart are there things you need to continue to forgive that you thought you forgave but maybe you're still clinging to them a little bit. But walk with that clean conscience and the pure heart. Be careful about grabbing the verse of brushing the dirt off your feet. I'm pretty sure that was specifically for these specific missionary journeys for rejecting the Lord. I'm not saying we don't have healthy boundaries. Absolutely have healthy boundaries. But just walk in love. Show forgiveness. Make unity. Make humility. Make grace. Make patience and kindness the norm. Blessings to you today.