Not just pretending

As you all know, Trish and I are blessed to be the parents to a six-year-old and a five-year-old. It is truly a blessing to be entrusted with their upbringing, which I don't take lightly, and pray continually that I don't mess it up.

Some of the funniest times are those when they are making up stories - not lying, that is an entirely different story. What I am talking about is when they are pretending, and making the story up as they go. They have very vivid and creative imaginations. I am always amazed at how they can spin their narrative. In the end, though, they will tell you that it is just pretend, it's not real.

Today's word is Romans 12:9, NLT, which reads, "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good."

Don't just pretend to love others - REALLY LOVE THEM. There is nothing in this world like loving someone and someone loving you back. There is also nothing more painful than to have someone pretend to love you and find out later that it was just a farce. We should love others because CHRIST first loved us. And, GOD is Love. If you can't love others, how can you possibly pretend that you truly love GOD?

Hate what is wrong. Now, this doesn't imply that we hate the wrongdoers. No, we want them to get saved and to quit doing wrong. But, we should not like doing wrong things; we should hate sin. And, we should hold tightly to what is good. Hold on to those things of GOD - the good things. I admit that I make a lot of mistakes and mess up every day. However, I want to be found faithful, not just pretending.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T