 While I was getting ready for an event, my friend Kathy was standing next to me as we touched up our hair. Suddenly, she handed me her hairspray without saying a word. Thinking that she was offering the spray for me to use, I began to spray my hair vigorously! When I looked at Kathy's face I knew that was not what she had in mind. "What?" I said to her, wondering what I did wrong. She said, "I had just enough spray left for you to spray the back of my hair!" "Ohhhhh!" I had forgotten I had offered to do that for her, and now I was using up her spray! "You mean, It's not all about me?" We both began to laugh!
This reminds me of the movie "Coat of Many Colors" which tells of Dolly Parton's life. When Dolly's Dad tries to help her understand her mother's feelings and what the Mom's importance is to the family, he makes this statement to Dolly. "There's only one person that holds this family together." Dolly replies, "Me?" "No, not you, your Mama!" I giggle every time I watch this movie because that is so typical of human nature. We think it's all about us!
Jesus taught in Matthew 19:19 how to go beyond just focusing on ourselves. "Honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself." He gave us several principles here to teach us how to love ourselves and how to love others! Sow what you want to come to you! Want your children to honor you? Then show honor! Want love? Then love! You give first and then you will receive. Keep in mind it's what you give that you will receive!
In the Greek translation of the phrase "love your neighbor as yourself", the word "as" refers to the quality of a person or thing. When we love, we establish value not only in them but also in ourselves. When Dolly was challenged to care about her mother's feelings, she was challenged to love beyond herself. When she did her own little heart was healed!
In that same thought, when we don't love our neighbor, we are making a judgment that we are better than they are. When we do this, we are really hindering our own sense of value by becoming haughty and arrogant!
We are to treat others as God sees them, in the finished work of Christ! When we treat them with respect, we are believing for the best in them! It will draw them up higher! If they refuse, that's between them and God and the blessing comes back on us! But if we treat them without love, that also comes back on us! Ouch! That's worse than using up someone's last hairspray they were counting on!
Who is our neighbor? Jesus explains it in Luke 10:27-37 as anyone we encounter. He shows us that a "good neighbor" is one that shows mercy or love. "It's not all about me!"
Please join us on Tuesdays at Anna's Gate for more teachings on the strategies of Heaven that will help you live in victory! If you are in the area, prophetic prayer starts at 2 PM (EST) and Worship at 4 PM. Teaching will follow the worship right around 4:30 PM. We live stream most of the teachings on my Facebook page for those outside the area, (CarolMarie Smith). It's all about HIM! When we learn that we can love as He does and our hearts can be healed!
Be sure to read the Torah portions below that Jesus read during this time in history! There is always something that relates to us in our place in history now! That's so amazing to me!
Find out more about the month of Cheshvan on our website
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"I invite you to visit my personal Facebook page (CarolMarie Smith), where I post videos and insights open to the public that will help you continue to grow! We also film and post the Tuesday meetings on Facebook that compliment what I share in our weekly Cup of Empowerment."
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