I was in a couples’ meeting not too long ago where the following question was asked; ‘what will you do if your spouse forgets your birthday?’ ……   My response was; ‘It’s complicated!!?

Let me quickly say that, that is not the kind of ‘forgetting’ this write-up is about? . Staying committed to celebrating one another, especially our loved ones, is one of the ways we express our love for them.

I hear people sometimes say….”I forgive you, but I cannot forget”. Well, I personally used to think that it is difficult to easily get rid of bad memories (not that I am harbouring any hurt) but to just forget?….hmm..?

First Corinthians 13:5 has been popping up on my mind of late and this verse of scripture says (referring to LOVE)….

“…. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.“
1 Corinthians 13:5 NLT

“It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.“
1 Corinthians 13:5 AMP

If love keeps no record of evil or wrong done, it means love forgets such things.

Here is the thing, if people close to us never hurt us, chances are that they’re not being their best selves while around us. Meaning also that we don’t know such people so well, and so, we are not enjoying the best possible relationship with them?. Trust me, you don’t want total clones all around you….(kind of boring) 

There is no doubt that our encounters with people is what helps us understand them better. Becoming offended or hurt is still part of the process (we’re getting to know people). My thought is that First Corinthians 13:5 is not necessarily saying we should not remember past experiences from relationships, if that were the case we would be making same mistakes over and over again and hurting people over and over again of same issues (selah). We will never learn how best to relate with different people and enjoy the best of relationships with them.

I believe that this portion of scripture is saying….. we are not to make a habit of recounting  or rehashing negative experiences either to ourselves or to those who hurt us. We should not dwell on them because such practice could stir up impure thoughts, strife and hatred in us.

Love forgets. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love is not overly-sensitive. Love is not easily hurt.

Brethren, we are of God (Galatians 3:26). God is love (I John 4:8), we should also declare same of ourselves.

Romans 5:5 says God’s love has been lavishly poured in our hearts… .it’s there, within us, let’s draw from it. …

“….. God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:5 AMP

God forgives and forgets….and so should we.

“bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.”
Colossians 3:13 AMP

Help us Lord!

Starting a new venture can be exciting and doubtless risky. Exciting because it is something new and seemingly promising. Risky because of the fear of failure, resource constraints amongst other uncertainties. Sometimes people handle the uncertainties of new ventures by proactively focusing on project purpose and objectives, ensuring tact and discipline in mobilising and utilizing resources, sticking to proven successful models and practice.

My youngest daughter communicates very clearly; a lot of people say this about her. Some weeks ago, we were in the kitchen together when I noticed from the corner of my eyes that she was rubbing her eyes somewhat profusely. Just as I was about to turn and ask her to stop, she said; ‘mummy, I just had a vision- a someone was standing behind you.’ Ordinarily I would have panicked, but I just looked at her in smiles and responded he’s my angel’. I believe the Father opened her eyes to see this as a confirmation of Psalm 34:7.

We sometimes read the account of creation and conclude that God created the universe from nothing. While this may seem right in a way considering that there was originally void, formlessness and darkness on the face of the earth, however, it wasn’t these things that gave rise to the universe. In and of themselves, void and formlessness will maintain their current state or deteriorate but very unlikely to transform to something useful on their own. And as for darkness, it is just a natural habitat for all sorts of imaginable and unimaginable evil to thrive, for dreams to never be realized, for possibilities to continue to be hidden or concealed. Darkness never outshines light, God is light, so every time God steps into darkness, light happens and darkness ceases to be

Peter went fishing with an empty boat and empty nets, he returned with an empty boat and empty nets. 
Then he went fishing again with an empty boat with empty nets, and this time he returned with 2 boats and nets full of fishes. 

You can position yourself to have the same experience Peter had, Find out what happened in the time interval Peter’s first and second fishing trip that made the difference and made this miracle possible. 

The Heavens tell of His glory, creation showcases the works of His hands. The dawn of a new day and its embrace of night reveals His power. The sun, the moon, the stars tell of His glory. All these though silent yet communicate louder than words, transmitting their message throughout the world to all mankind (Psalm 19:1-5), to all who care to think, listen, and see.

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” I Peter 2:24 NKJV

In Part 1, we answered the following question:

Is 1 Peter 2:24 ‘healing’ just a spiritual healing, a physical healing or both a spiritual/physical one?

Please refer to Monday’s post see the response from scripture.

Today we try to understand the word ‘stripes’ in 1 Peter 2:24.

As used in 1 Peter 2:24, ‘stripes‘ mean; a bruise, a wound from a stripe, to beat to pieces, crush, smite, humble, oppress.

‘Wound’ is an injury to a living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or impart, which typically cuts or breaks the skin.

‘Bruise‘ is an injury that appears as a discolored area of skin on the body.

These descriptions point to a physical, bodily experience. Yes, Jesus definitely felt the spiritual and emotional weight of crucifixion, but also in reality, He was physically tortured. His body was bruised.

The Amplified version reading helps paint a clearer picture of 1 Peter 2:24….

"He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 AMP

His body was cut. He was lashed so much that His skin broke. The nails pierced His skin as they passed through His hands, and the spear certainly pierced his skin. He even bore our sins in His own body.

The Stripes were not imaginary, they were real…

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4‭-‬5 NIV

He carried them all (sin and sickness) so that you will not carry them. You have no business with sin, you have no business with sickness.

Agree with God; Believe His Word, Continually confess His Word on healing and it will be health to all your flesh.

By His Stripes I was healed. The Bible says it and I choose to believe the Word of God. I agree with God!

……………

Reviewed from first published in 10/08/2019.

Not too long ago, I came across a Christian blogsite where a heated argument was going on about the meaning of ‘healed‘ in ‘By His stripes you were  healed‘ of 1 Peter 2:24.  While some persons supported the idea that ‘healed’ as used in this verse referred only to a spiritual healing with no physical manifestation, others thought it was totally a physical experience. Those who felt strongly that it should be purely spiritual, came from the standpoint that healing and salvation came as one package. And so if salvation is spiritual then healing must be too.

The reason Lazarus was located at the rich man’s gate was because those that dropped him there knew the rich man had the required resources to help him. You can help someone in genuine need today, and that someone is located at your gate (around you).

We can be more. We can put lust, greed, strife, hatred, and everything evil which doesn’t identify with our identity in Christ under control. We can choose to by wisdom observe more and speak less, to choose to ignore and disregard inflammatory and annoying remarks, we can choose peace and calmness of spirit over claiming to be right or smart. We can be more.