Greetings sister saints!
I hope you are each doing well especially in your obedience and walk with Lord.
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"
1 Peter 2:9-11
A sister and I were messaging and she reminded me of a few things to think about.
And it helps to remember that, especially when having to endure others around us who are not loving and obeying God. We sisters all have some contact with other people, because we know that God doesn't take us out of this world, so we are to shine our light while keeping seperate from sin of course. We don't go join people in their sin, no, but we can still withdraw ourselves from the things the world and claimed believers do while caring about their souls. So in that we need to remember that once we were just like them, living in sin and rebellion and God had to endure us and even died for us so we can do the same to others.
"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
1 Corinthians 6:11
Praise God sisters we have been set free in Christ! And now we can offer that same great hope and treasure of the gospel to others. And we glorify God by being a consistent faithful witness and bearing much fruit. And of course we are living for God first and not for others but we have His Word and He tells us how to live in this world and all its sin while being His set apart saints.
Yes it is hard to endure seeing and hearing those who do not obey God...but we need long suffering and all the fruits of the Spirit and remember how the Lord had mercy on us when we were like that. And now He has called us to something much better and so we reach out to the others with hope and leave what they do with that to the Lord as we ourselves live holy obedient lives ready to give an answer.
I know that I know those things but we can forget and so could use reminders of many different things can't we sisters!
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Hebrews 3:13
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:"
Hebrews 10:24
Amen what a blessing to edify and encourage each other as sisters in the Lord.
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9
And thank you sister for sharing these scriptures pictures!
And a little bird's nest in a citrus tree...
"And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
Luke 9:58
Let us sisters be grateful for the blessings we have above food and raiment...like a bed to rest in and warm blankets for when it's cold:-)
And I thought this sounded funny...hungry chickens pecking away at the grain on the tin:-)
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1:11-12
So let us sisters be encouraged to remember that the Lord had mercy on us! He is worthy to be lived for!
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Romans 5:8-9
Love in Christ,
...from one of God's daughters
You can find the gospel explained here.