Dealing With Conflict & Sin

This is just notes for me.  I want to have them somewhere in an organized fashion.  So disregard unless you really want to see it. :) 

 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault,  just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. ~ Matthew 18:15-17

Leviticus 19:17

¹⁷ “‘Do not hate your brother in your heart.  Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ~ Galations 6:1

Romans 16:17
¹⁷ I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

^{Titus 3:10}

¹⁰ Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.

 

1. How great an evil real heresy is, not lightly therefore to be charged upon any, though greatly to be taken heed of by all. Such a one is subverted or perverted—a metaphor from a building so ruined as to render it difficult if not impossible to repair and raise it up again. Real heretics have seldom been recovered to the true faith: not so much defect of judgment, as perverseness of the will, being in the case, through pride, or ambition, or self-willedness, or covetousness, or such like corruption, which therefore must be taken heed of: "Be humble, love the truth and practise it, and damning heresy will be escaped.’’ 2. Pains and patience must be used about those that err most grievously. They are not easily and soon to be given up and cast off, but competent time and means must be tried for their recovery. 3. The church’s means even with heretics are persuasive and rational. They must be admonished, instructed, and warned; so much nouthesia imports. 4. Upon continued obstinacy and irreclaimableness, the church has power, and is obliged, to preserve its own purity, by severing such a corrupt member which discipline may by God’s blessing become effectual to reform the offender, or if not it will leave him the more inexcusable in his condemnation.   Matthew Henry's Commentary

when my heart is missing you

my heart is missing you
even a cynic can dream
caught between realities
might be's

there is a part of me
that waits for you
soul meeting mate
and on summer nights
empty is more than space

sweet sad love songs
and day dreams
starry nights
breathing under open sky
with arms wide open
when my heart is missing
you

Heroes

As a child I never really had heroes.  People always ask kids who they want to be like when they grow up.  I never knew.  I don't know if it's just my kind of naturally cynical personality, or experience with good literature early in life, or just being a punky independent girl. 

As an adult, it's been a little bit the opposite.  Having seen the pain that life can bring I guess I have wanted heroes a little more now than when I was small.  Cynics can dream too. :) Someone, somewhere has to do it right.  I don't need super powers or leaping of buildings, or capes and costumes. 

Can you be dependable?
Can you be trustworthy?
Can you hang in there when it's hard and you have to sacrifice?
Can you tell the truth? All the time?
Can you love unconditionally?

Recently a hero has fallen off his pedestal.  Someone I love and care for.  He's fallen pretty far.  And his fall affects lots of people.  But the truth is that under the cape and costume heroes are people too.  Flawed and fallable like the rest of us.  So I guess my hero can't be human.  Or can he?

When I was fifteen I wrote Jesus' name on my hands and said my whole life.  Jesus.  All of it.  All for you.  (It's a little weird, I know this.)  Jesus has never once failed me.  Never let me down.  He is the utmost example of love and sacrifice.  Of a life well lived.  Of a human being to aspire to be like.  So that's my Jesus.  My hero.  And he's gone a step further in giving me glimpses of him in the people around me.  Like my friend Ashley says, I'm not sure if I can trust you, but I can trust Jesus in you.  And those glimpses of Jesus in my friends give me hope when other heroes fall down. 

Thinking this through in the shower tonight I had a little Jesus time.  Full out singing and everything.  There's a song I learned growing up that just got stuck in my heart and I had to sing it out loud.  The lyrics go like this:

Tu amor por mi es mas dulce que la miel
Y tu misericordia es nueva cada dia

Es por eso q' te alabo
Es por eso q' te sirvo
Es por eso q' te doy todo mi amor. 

*****

Your love for me is sweeter than honey
And your mercies are new every morning

For this reason I praise you
For this reason I serve you
For this reason I give you all my love.