Topic: The Genesis Story: Part 161- How do you relate with others (including your enemies)?
Bible Reading: Genesis 50
Memory Verse: Genesis 50: 21
So then don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen! How are you doing? Another wonderful week has gone by! How did you spend your week? Did you learn a thing or two, from the messages posted on SDD this week? I know I did! I hope you did as well.
Today’s message is the last under the Genesis Story series. After almost two years, we have finally completed our journey through the book of Genesis! Congratulations! You have done a great job! However, the job doesn’t end there! We have much more to do in our journey to be Christ-like. Are you prepared? Are you excited about embarking on a new journey? I hope you are! It is going to be very informative and fun! I can not wait! Do you think you can correctly guess the book in the Bible we would be reading next? Have a go! Let us know what you think!
In today’s message, we would be looking our relationships with other people in our lives; including “our enemies.” Though many people take it for granted; it is a very important aspect of our lives. Our relationship with others can make or break us.
Are you ready for the message? Let us get right into it!
There are many people, Christians included, who relate to some people very differently from the way they relate to others. People are judged based on the clothes they wear, the cars they drive or the homes they live in. This influences people's relationship with others! That should not be the case! We see that the way a person is judged is the way they are treated. We are living in a world whereby the material things determine the level of respect we show to others.
As Christians, hoping to live a Christlike life, we must treat everyone in our lives with honor and respect. Why? Well, the answer is simple! It is because that it how Christ lived his life and it is how God tells us to live with one another. There are so many verses in the Bible that lets us know how God wants us to live with others. Let us look at a few…
John 4:32- “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Romans 12:10- “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing love.”
Ephesians 4:2- “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love.”
From these verses, one theme runs through- LOVE! God wants us to treat everyone with love. This is because with love comes the other traits such trust, honor, humility, etc. As Christians, we must strive hard to love others just as we love ourselves. In Galatians 5:14, the Bible says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one thing: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This was one of the commandments God gave the Israelites. It is the same commandment He is giving to us- the spiritual Israelites. As the verse rightfully said, you must first learn to love yourself before you can love someone else.
I have realized that there are many people who do not love themselves. They do not appreciate who they are or what they have. They always look for something external to represent wholeness, success and self-love.These are the people they tend to treat well- people who seem to have these external things. If a person does not meet that standard, they are quick to be very mean or uncaring! This is very wrong. To love yourself, you must accept yourself as a child of God (fully). Dedicate your life to God and bury the worldly desires of your heart. Once you do that, God’s word would begin to transform you.
Today, I urge you to take a step back and evaluate yourself! Search deep within your heart. Look out for all your shortcomings; all the things, assumptions that are filled in your heart. I pray for healing of your heart. I pray for the ability to forgive yourself. I pray for peace for you! Amen! Invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill you! Talk to Him and come up with a plan, to tackle each and every issue you have identified- through daily Quiet times filled with prayer and Bible study. Hallelujah!
Did you know that when the Bible spoke about “neighbor,” it included your enemy? Well, it does! As Christians we are supposed to love our neighbors and treat them well. We are even supposed to pray for them. In Matthew 5:44, the Bible says, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you!” Yes! A lot of people are surprised about this. They always question the reason behind this! Well, this is quite a difficult thing to do; yet again, without love. Without love, it is difficult to realize that “your enemy” is just a pawn of the devil. Most of the time, they do even know this. Why? Well, this is because it is not the person who is the enemy; but the spirit living inside the person! In this case, we are supposed to pray, asking God to deliver the person and set the person free! As human as we are, it is very difficult to separate the person from the spirit. We find it extremely difficult to love and pray for our “enemy.”
Let us take a look at what Joseph said in Genesis 50:21. Joseph promised to take care of his brothers and their families. The most important part of the verse says, “… and spoke kindly to them.” How would you have spoken to your siblings; having known that they sold you to some foreigners? I am sure that some people (if they had Joseph’s power), would have imprisoned them all. Joseph acted out of love. The love he had was so pure and true. It was able to see past the bad things his brothers had done against him! This is an example of the love God’s Word speaks of; we must all try to have and express this kind of love. Hallelujah!
As we end today’s message, I pray that as you have read this message; you are touched and moved to start working on yourself- with the goal of loving yourself. I know you can do it! It may be difficult! But I know you can! If Joseph did it, so can you! He was a human like you and me! I am also in the process of appreciating and acknowledging this kind of love! Just know that you are not alone. You can always reach out, if you need some help or you simply need to talk to someone about your journey! You can just leave a message (do not forget to provide your email address) and I will reply it! God bless you!
As we end “The Genesis Story” series, I would like to thank you for coming along, on this journey through the book of Genesis. It has been a long journey, full of ups and downs! Glory be to God! We have finished! I pray that each person has been blessed by one of the messages in this series. God richly bless you for coming on board!
Prepare yourself! We embark on a new journey this coming week! Any idea of the book we are looking at next?
All the best today and let God be at the center of everything! Continue to stay safe during these times. Please follow the guidelines provided by your respective health agency. God bless you!
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
The prayer below is for anyone who does not know God or maybe has been apart from God for a while. God is here to pour His favor over your life. All you have to do is call out to Him. Make that decision today!
Dear Lord,
I come to you today as a sinner. I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is your Son and He came on to this earth to die for my sins. Dear Lord, let your Son come and fill me. Lord, I ask that He cleanses me off my sins. I am ready to stand for you and profess your Name. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
If you repeated this prayer with all the sincerity of your heart, congratulations!! You are now a part of God’s family. Welcome to the greatest family ever. Heaven is jubilating on your arrival. Your fellow brothers and sisters are also excited to have you on board.
Being a child of God is a wonderful thing. The road might not always be easy, but God is with you each and every step of the way. Guiding you, helping you and encouraging up. You will never regret this decision; I can assure you of that. Two things I would recommend for you to do are;
Get yourself a Bible (in a version you understand) and meditate on it day and night. In Joshua 1:8, we are told that when you meditate on the Word day and night, you will be prosperous and successful.
Find a Bible- believing church to attend and fellowship with other Christians. This would help you grow spiritually.
I am excited that you made this decision. Welcome! If you would like some help or more understanding into anything, you can leave a message (adding your email address) and I would be willing and happy to help you out!