And, knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
Matthew 12:25
Discomfort and agony come with doing things which violate our fundamental beliefs regarding what is right and wrong. The fancy word for this is cognitive dissonance. When we do wrong, we may fall away from God.
The good news is that we can flee from sin and back to Jesus. He is always waiting to say, “I forgive.”
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isiah 43:18-19
Jesus said,
Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11
…the Lord spoke to Joshua…
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”
John 18:25
The Apostle Peter was famous for messing up. He was the guy who cut off the Roman soldier’s ear in the garden and who denied Christ three times in one day. Peter was not perfect, but he was forgiven and he became one of the most dynamic evangelists in the world, bringing thousands to know Jesus. So, awe inspiring was Peter’s ministry that he is the model for the Pope of the Catholic Church.
We all mess up. We all sin. We can beat ourselves up for our shortcomings and have a regular pity party. Or, we can ask God’s forgiveness and get on with the mission God has assigned us – to take the Gospel to the world.
Forget your sin because God has forgiven you, and get busy on the rest of the story.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, loving kindness shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Psalm 32:10-11
God’s loving kindness is more than sympathy; it is comfort and affection for us. And, that is something to shout about.
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
The seas and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;
Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free.
Psalm 146:5-7
But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is to bring Christ up from the dead).”
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” –that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
Romans 10:8-11
There is only one confession of any consequence to Christians. That is the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. We believe this and we are saved. Faith alone leads to salvation.
We should not confuse the confessing of our sins with this the true confession. Yes, we may still confess our sins, but the true confession leading to salvation is that of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1-4
For the scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:11-13
Christianity is not an exclusive club; it is the inclusive love of God for all mankind.
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35, 37-39.
If there is a Bible verse which gives us the courage to say “so what” when things go wrong, this is it. Great or small, there is nothing in life that can remove us from the love of God. The Bible is full of stories of people who made mistakes, who God loved and redeemed. From Moses who argued with God that he could not lead the people of Israel to the promised land (Exodus 3-4) to the Apostle Paul who held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen (Acts 8:54-60) God has revealed His unchanging and compromising love. His desire is for us to declare Jesus to be Lord, Master and Savior of our lives, and to bask in His unconditional love.
Hallelujah!
Do not fear for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear is disabling. Fear keeps us from doing the things that God would have us to do. Fear limits our possibilities by convincing us that things are too difficult. Fear makes worry about what other people will think, rather than about what the right thing to do is.
We have God’s promise that He will help us and uphold us. We are not operating a lone; we are operating in God’s grace.
Stop worrying and start living.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, loving kindness shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Psalm 32:10-11
God’s loving kindness is more than sympathy; it is comfort and affection for us. And, that is something to shout about.
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.
Proverbs 13:4
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you….
Matthew 7:12
This commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
1 John 4:21
Behold God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2
After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.
John 7:1
Going out of our way to avoid trouble is the right thing to do.
If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Matthew 5:47
When Jesus instructed us to greet one another, He was acknowledging that all human beings need one on one human contact. It is good for us to talk to each other. And, when we extend a greeting to a stranger, we are putting the love of God into action.
Be the one. Say, “Hello.”
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Romans 12:18
I think this means that sometimes we need to keep our mouths shut. If we disagree with what someone is doing or how someone is doing something, and it is something that does not matter, we should keep quiet and maintain the peace.
There are plenty of worthy battles. You will know them when you see them. Save your fight for those.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present day.
Titus 2:11-12
He raises up the poor from the dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them He has set the world.
1 Samuel 2:8
Whatever your circumstances, you are useful to God.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 51:11
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:12
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:7
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
