To forgive and forget instead of judging and condemning.

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Sometimes we just forget that others have feelings, they have had good and bad experiences like ourselves. When we forget theses things we tend to be harsh judges of them and their character, we must remember no one is perfect  and every one suffers troubles in this world. Regardless if they are wealthy, poor, popular or the town outcast, they are all the same as you are. They are human, prone to mistakes and to making wrong choices.

So the next time you are condemning someone remember that person could have been you if you had made a few choices differently in your life. Sometimes one poor choice can cause you a lifetime of torment and  judgment by your peers. This is why forgiveness and compassion are important to our world and society, Jesus taught forgiveness and showed great compassion for those great and those that were seen as wretches and undesirables of his time. He was showing us the way we should live our lives, not in judgment of others but in love of others. To forgive and forget instead of judging and condemning.

The Sin is the Enemy of God not the Sinner. The sinner is a child of God like the rest of us, just lost and in need of fellowship, compassion and forgiveness. For we all are sinners and therefore have no right to judge.

John 8:7 –  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

 

Letting Go , Letting God and The Magnitude of God’s Love

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber ... I have noticed that letting go is one of the hardest actions to perform, be it letting go of your mistakes in the past or the mistakes of others. I find it so much easier to forgive others than to forgive myself for the mistakes and poor choices made in the past. Seems I am harder on my own self than on those I know and care for. Don’t get me wrong I can be a butt head sometimes to others but in general I have the live and let live attitude. Even when I am able to forgive myself for the wrongs I had committed it still takes a long time for me to forget and let it go.

Though I know my mother wasn’t the first to coin the phrase let go and let God but she is the first one that told me that. Letting God take it all is easy only if I can let it all go, I know in God’s hands I am safe but still I find letting it go hard. Slowly but surely I am learning to turn over my fears, desires, doubts and the mistakes of my past to the will and love of God. As I do the past becomes just that and it is no longer having the influence it used to over my present. The grace of God is what helps me let go of the things I can’t seem to let go of and his love and mercy helps me get through this harsh world we all live in.

We all sin, we all fall short of the glory of God, But through his son Jesus we are granted  a pardon for our sins and through such grace we are shown the magnitude of God’s love. Jesus tried to teach us to love one another, to share each others burdens and to avoid being judgmental. Compassion not only towards family and friends but even those we see as enemies. He tried to show us a more enlightened path as well as a more humane way of existence. He loved us and believed in our potential enough to die and save us from the sinful nature within us all. He set an example for us to follow both in his teachings and in how he lived his life.

May God bless you all and the Light of truth guide you on your life’s journey
Raymond Barbier

To Be Selfless

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber ...The path of Righteousness, a path seldom followed and is not an easy path to travel. To be selfless, humble and full of compassion for both your friends and your enemies. To put everyone else before your own seems to be against the nature of most people. To put aside judgment of others so that you will not be judged by the same conditions as well as not seeing your possessions as your own. To seek wise counsel and avoid being deceived along the way.

“(Proverbs 3:3) Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart”

it seems so much easier to be selfish, greedy and full of loathing. It is far easier for one  To take instead of give and to hurt instead of heal. To take care of your own and let others suffer in hunger and poverty seems to be the safest route. Yes to live in lust and partake in all the pleasures is far more entertaining than to refrain from such things. To enjoy the pleasures of your spouse is good but to enjoy the pleasures of others is not. It is a betrayal of not only your spouse but of your own self and the vows you made.

Our Lord and Savior died and paid for our sins so we could be redeemed not so we could be careless and be foul. Sure no man can be without sin, It is in our very nature to sin and it is also within our power to abstain from sinning. We must do our best in avoiding sin and we must repent for the sins we commit when we fall. Teach righteousness and avoid being judgmental of sinners for you will be judged by god in the way you judge others.

 Matthew 7:1-3 Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and he will apply to you the same rules you apply to others. Why, then, do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the log in your own eye?”

In a world so full of injustice and a world lacking in love and compassion we must live. We have a choice to either be like the world we walk in or to be like the one who saved mankind from its sinful nature. Our hope is in Jesus Christ and without it we could not have the promise of salvation or being worthy of Heaven.

“(Colossians 2:13) And you, being dead in your sins and the un-circumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”

 

May God Bless you and yours.
Raymond Barbier

Thoughts on Forgiveness

Good Shephard

Self Forgiveness is one of the most important steps to happiness, to face the mistakes and wrong doings in one’s life is something we all must do. To look back upon those mistakes and to accept the responsibility of our actions.  Once we accept responsibility we must learn from those mistakes and/or wrong doings and forgive ourselves as well as move forward. To make mistakes and to make poor choices in our life is what humans do to learn and to evolve mentally if not spiritually.  As long as we learn from the mistakes and feel some remorse for the things we have done then it is time to forgive and forget so we can move forward in life.

From a Christian point of view we are forgiven our sins through the grace of Jesus but if we can not forgive ourselves or others how are we to expect such grace from the heavens?  If you believe in Christianity and the blood of Christ then you must forgive both yourself and others. Jesus taught forgiveness and compassion so we could learn the way to salvation. He would have not wasted his time teaching the lessons he did if they were not of importance. His death and resurrection were to be an example of how grand the love of god is as well as how important we all are as a species.

Forgiveness, Compassion and Love are universal and apply to both the one who gives them as well as the those who receive. Learn to forgive and not to repeat the same mistakes as well as teach others to do the same.

 

Well enough of my Babbling for now,Peace and Love be your guide through this world of chaos.

Ray Barbier

Freewill, Evil and Human Nature

I have often pondered on if there is a God and he loves us then why does evil exist and suffering? The answer to each of those questions vary with whom you ask them. My thoughts are as follows, God allows evil to exist in order to allow us to enjoy the gift of freewill that he gave us. Thus the majority of the evil in this world if not all of it is solely our responsibility. Human beings are the source of evil here on earth as well as the source of goodness. If Evil exists here on earth it is due to our free choice to allow it to be a part of our lives. Unfortunately being such a large population it would be next to impossible to stamp out all evil in our society. The only way would to try and enlighten everyone and promote love, peace and understanding on a global scale. This is something I fear could never happen due to the people in power would reject and obstruct such a global movement. War one of the greater evils of mankind is the most profitable and is the thing most governments support as long as its not on their soil.

Far as suffering, it is no more than a side effect of the evil man creates. Greed and the lust for power fuels the leaders of our world either consciously or subconsciously. There may be many politicians and political leaders that are not evil by nature but fall to the wayside as a necessity to gain position or favor. So why does god allow all of this? Well its all the freewill thing, He gave us the reigns and only intercedes if asked or if necessary. Man must learn on his own that Sin, wickedness and evil are the enemy of life. Being a human myself, I face many faults within myself and fall to sin. The nature to be selfish and to be self satisfying seems to be a embedded part of human nature. To resist and to control it is a choice that one must make.

Well that’s my thoughts on the issue, right or wrong its here for all to see.

Peace and happiness to all
Raymond Barbier