Suddenly, I lost my appetite for her cucumbers.
I put them on the shared kitchen table in the lunchroom.
Another lady who loves cucumbers took them.
She will enjoy them much more than I would have. I would have let them rot.

Then, I tried to pray for her. I didn’t do a very good job.
At least I tried.
I tried to forgive her, but here I am still bugged about it.

She doesn’t believe in God and thinks Christians are a little looney.
There are some spiritual barriers between us.
This one was God’s wisdom.
The other thing is, I will not bow to her which means I stand up for what is right.
She gets along best with brown-nosers who do not stand up for what is right,
but who kowtow to her even when she’s wrong.
My job allows for my expertise in certain areas and she does not like it sometimes.
I still stand my ground. I will stand strong for causes I believe in.

God fights for me.
He wins.
The rare times when He has let things go, it has been a nightmare and I have been proven right.
On we go with another difficult circumstance where she will be angry and try to rule.
On I go with the struggle to forgive and walk in love.

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. Ephesians 5:2

All God has done for me and I can’t love this one unlovely creature?
Please help me, Jesus, I can do all things through You who strengthens me.

Spending time with God is far underrated.
People often consider it an intrusion.
I’ve heard people say, “I’m so busy. I barely have time to get anything done.”
They have not prioritized time with God and have not understood the preciousness of His love for us.
Just be.
Just wait.
Just listen.
Just let Him love you.

As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. John 15:9

Set aside time for Jesus.
Spend time with Him.
In any relationship, we have to spend time with the other person to get to know them.
We have to find out what they care about, what is on their heart.
To assume anything about anyone is not the best way to cultivate that relationship.

How do you get there?
It takes time sitting at Jesus’ feet, just appreciating who He is.
Giving Him of your valuable time and attention.
Putting Him above all else.
Let Him bring you to that place, but first, we have to seek Him.
We have to value Him.
Mary valued time with Jesus, while Martha was too busy.

And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:5

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13
Yes, the greatest is love and the greatest of the greatest is God’s love.
It is good to believe in God’s love. It is even better to experience it.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: 
it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the Lord’s. Leviticus 3:16

The fat of the animal was considered the best part and was reserved for God.

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 
And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts,
may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 
For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord,
even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. Leviticus 7:23-25

Why? Because it belongs unto the Lord.
If they took what God considers the best part of the offering and consumed it,
that is giving God the least, the leftovers.
God forbid we give Him less than our best.
Jesus wants the first fruits of our increase.
Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: Proverbs 3:9

Remember that widow who put in two pence? Listen to what Jesus said about her:

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury:
and many that were rich cast in much. 
And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 
And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 
For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, 
even all her living. Mark 12:41-44

The other people cast in their abundance, but she gave all that she had.
God is looking for our best, whatever that means to us.
The best of our time,
the best of our resources,
the best of our mercy,
the best of our talents.
He want our best of whatever we have.

Some might ask, What are the leftovers? Each person knows what that means in their heart.
God cannot be fooled. Giving to God out of your abundance is not good enough.
Giving Him what is easy for your to give is not sufficient.
Give Jesus things that are most important to you. That’s what He’s looking for.

Since God looks on the heart, we cannot fool Him.
He knows what we think, what we value, what we pursue.
Being ashamed of Jesus and His words puts us in danger.
For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

Here is another scripture that very clearly draws a line between the saved and unsaved:
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14
Our Salvation is about forgiveness and His cleansing blood.
So, if we don’t forgive, we are in violation of what He asks of us:
to forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
There are several scriptures in the Bible about forgiveness
including that we should be tenderhearted and love others, even our enemies.

Don’t think you’re all that. Show others mercy.
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy;
and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. James 2:13

To be saved, the scriptures teach us several things:
To follow His commandments.
Obey Jesus.
Produce good fruit in our lives.
To make sure Jesus knows you and know Him, that you have a relationship with Him.
Love your enemies and your brethren and your neighbor as yourself.
Follow the strait and narrow road that is not easy to find.
Do not be ashamed of Jesus or His words.
Believing in Jesus is an action. It is not a passive belief. The demons in Hell believe and tremble.
These are thought-provoking statements in the word of God where you can examine your own heart.
This is not a do-everything-right walk.
God allows us to find our way before Him.
We must seek Him and rely on His strength while He makes us a new creation.
We cannot make it to the finish line without Him.
He is our God and that’s what this is all about, to realize that and to act upon it.
To dedicate your heart to Jesus. This is what it’s all about.

This is not an exhaustive list, that means, if you do all the things on this list,
that does not mean you are saved.
The only way to know for sure is to know it from God and His word.
Remember the Rich Young Ruler who thought he had done everything?

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master,
what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 
And He said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:
but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 
The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Matthew 19:16-22

God will make it clear to you what He is asking of you if you seek Him.

Bible References:

If ye love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:15

And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luke 6:46

Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Matthew 7:16-20

Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. 
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name?
and in Thy name have cast out devils?
and in Thy name done many wonderful works? 
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:44

A new commandment I give unto you,
That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:34

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Galatians 5:14

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Luke 13:24

I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
John 10:9

For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
James 2:19

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves,
how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2 Corinthians 13:5

When God instructed people in the Old Testament, its symbolism is evident.
It was symbolism to remind His people of what He had done already and that He can be trusted.
God told them to write His words on the gates and posts and to wear them on their hands
and between their eyes and to talk about them all the time from morning until nighttime.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

If you need a reminder, read His word.
If you lack faith, read His word.
Come to the living water which washes us daily.
Let His word rule and reign in your heart.

Salvation is an individual response to the Holy Spirit
There are no blanket Salvation promises for everyone
If you say in the word, it says that if you believe, you shall be saved
That is truth, however each person must recognize that Jesus is Lord and that He was raised from the dead
Each one also must reconcile his or her life to Jesus and this is an individual effort
If you meet Jesus and you decide to give your life to Him, then your walk is with Him
He tells you how to follow Him, what He is asking of you
This is not payment for Salvation
It is a response to His work in your life
If you do not allow Jesus to work in your life and make you a new creature,
you will be like a man who looks at himself in a mirror and forgets what he had seen

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. James 1:23-24

We each need to check our walks before the Lord
Paul called that judging ourselves
Then, we will not get surprised when we do finally meet our Lord
because we will already be aware of what it means to follow Him
There will be no surprises
Stay close to Jesus as you walk with Him, He will direct your steps

Should we be afraid we can lose our salvation?
Yes. It is the godly fear that reminds us that He can cast us into Hell, which is separation from Him
it is a lie from the pits of Hell that we cannot lose our salvation
Jesus gave us many ways that we can lose our salvation
It will not be our goodness or anything we have done that will allow us Salvation, but God’s grace and mercy
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

it is all between you and God
The assurance of Salvation comes from Him
He will make it clear to you
Ask Him

Be faithful in the little and God will give you the increase.

Have you ever considered doing something no one else will see, but just because it’s the right thing to do?
Like picking up a nail in the road while you’re walking so someone’s tire doesn’t go flat?
Nobody else saw, but God did.
We are not to do things for others to see. if we do, then we lose our reward.
I hear people telling others about their times of fasting
or how much they read the bible or how they helped this person or a host of other good deeds.
Jesus said, Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance:
for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret:
and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:16-18
That goes for anything. If we seek our glory from men, we will lose our heavenly reward.

Jesus loves to tell parables. He likes to demonstrate a story to help our understanding.
If you understand them, you are blessed.
If you do not, ask Jesus to teach you what they mean and He will.
Likely, those who do not believe will find them foolishness.
And when He was alone, they that were about Him with the twelve asked of Him the parable. 
And He said unto them,
Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God:
but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand;
lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. Mark 4:10-12
That is precisely why He told parables, to hide His teachings from the wicked.

If we honor Jesus at all, we can allow that honor of Him to grow.
When we follow Him, we must put off the world and treasure the things of the kingdom.
The more ground we allow God to take in our lives,
the more we will be rewarded in this world and in the world to come.
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:21

Follow no man.
Follow Jesus.
If Jesus gives you the peace to walk with others in difficult circumstances, so be it,
but keep Jesus in the mix. He might change your direction.

Jesus warned us that we would face perilous times.

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh,
that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. John 16:2

Jesus told us to watch and pray, to watch for the signs of The End.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always,
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36
This means, the Lord is watching over you to help you endure to the end.
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:13

This is not time to ignore the commandments of the Lord.
Stay close to Him and obey whatever it is He may ask of you.

Easier said than done.
In the world, it’s fine to curse people. People do that to one another all the time.
We are not thinking of curses of Satanic origin, although, that might very well influence us.
Many of us were raised that way from a young age saying or thinking things like:
That person is an idiot. What a dummy. He doesn’t know anything at all.
and all sorts of other cursed things.

This morning, in the Proverbs chapter of the day, this jumped out:
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Proverbs 28:27
What if we thought of these people we are cursing or that we cannot stand as the poor?
They definitely are in many respects.
What if we blessed them instead, as a form of giving to the poor?
What if we did not hide our eyes from them, but prayed and gave them blessings from the Lord?
Would that not please the Lord?
It most definitely would.

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest:
for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Luke 6:35

It’s not easy to love the unlovely. They are ugly. They have faults that can be so difficult to overlook.
We must try. God loves them. God wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves.
What if we were the strange ones who always said or did the wrong things?
What if we didn’t bathe and stank or had atrocious social skills that turned others off?
Jesus was kind to the evil and the unthankful.
This is not something we can do on our own: Love others out of obedience to the Lord.
It’s a tough job. We cannot do that without the help of the Lord Jesus. It’s utterly impossible.
These people are too difficult.

If we self-reflect, we can think of a time we said or did the wrong thing. What if we almost always did?
Then we would be like the unlovely. How would we want people to treat us if we messed up all the time?

If God were to remove Himself from the Earth, there would be nothing good.
No love, no kindness, no goodness, no light, only emptiness and darkness.
People who live without God, who do not acknowledge Him do not realize,
the only good they have is from Him.
With God’s presence, which is everywhere, there is honesty, justice, and anything good and right.
Without God is emptiness, complete absence of anything good.

When people arrive in Hell of their own choice,
to not choose God while they had the chance here on Earth,
the worst part will be to be completely separated from God.
Jesus spoke of Hell many times. He also called it outer darkness.
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed,
than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:43-44

God does not play. He said what He meant and He meant what He said.
We cannot change His words, neither can we soften them when they seem harsh.
God said what He said.
Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Matthew 25:41

And He said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:
but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Matthew 19:17
True good, the only good that matters comes from God and reflects God’s goodness.

There is no turning once we die. We will be judged and it will be too late.

What is the whole duty of man? Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
The fear of the Lord is to be in our hearts. He can cast us into Hell.
We cannot talk our way into His good graces. It is entirely up to Jesus.

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of His power; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
The time is short. Time to take God seriously.