Love, Mexican Food & Thorny

My pastor taught a message last Sunday...

Do you have someone in your life who drains you so much you gotta go get Mexican food after you see them?
I do too.
I watched Beth Moore teaching on Loving Difficult People HERE.
Beth calls the person that drives you to Mexican food, Thorny.



Thorny is someone who, anytime you're around them, you get injured.


Ouch!!!

Matt 24:12 tells us that hearts will grow colder & colder.
Are you building a wall around your heart brick by brick each time someone wounds you?
Ya, me too.
Read 2 Tim 3:1-5 as a checklist for our culture right now.
One way I have let myself off the hook for not loving difficult people is by saying,
"they lie, they are evil, they are sick or they don't care about me anyway."
I'm not really off the hook w/that reasoning.
Here's the sobering thought...
I could be somebody's Thorny?! Eeeekkk?!
Luke 6:32-36 brings another thought...
"How many people am I loving that flat out do not love me back?"
God loves those who never give Him the time of day.
When we love our enemies (who do not love us) we will look more like our Father.
It's much easier to love our peeps who love us back!!!
Proverbs 19:22 - what we want is unfailing love
Do you know that God loves you? God IS love. It's His essence , it's in His DNA. There is nothing you can do to affect His love for you.
I'm still working on this concept. I think I have it down, however there are times when my actions say I doubt this truth.
Once we really know God's love for us the wall will crumble around our hearts.

I John 4:19 -
I love ____(input Thorny's name here)__________ because God first loved me.
This scripture reminds us that it's not because they love us back that we love them, it's because of God.
Seek to get your cup filled by God every A.M. Know you are significant to Him before you ever walk out your door. During your prayer time ask Him to remind you that you are significant.
Hurt people hurt people. People have handicapped hearts.

Ask God to give you insight into what has hurt their heart, broken their mind.
Let's allow God deal with our "stuff" so we don't become Thorny.
You & I don't want to be that person.
Phil 1:9-11
It's the will of God that we become more & more loving. We will only do this on purpose.
God never calls us to love blind, biblical love is open eyed with a smart heart.
So here's a "million dollar question"...
Is God using Thorny to kill something inside us- so He can bring out the toxic in us - so it can be skimmed off - the refiners fire! Hhhmmm?
An important point that both my pastor & Beth taught was that loving our enemies does not mean we bring keep the toxic in our lives or open our lives for abuse. That does align w/scripture.
Romans 5:5
You can't love with your natural heart- it's self seeking, self protecting.
God wants us to use our hearts like a canteen.
To pour out what's toxic in our hearts so He can pour in His perfect love.
Scripture can equip us to love those we don't even like.
Keep running to Him through prayer, through His word.
If my life was w/o love, it was for nothing - 1 Cor 13:3



Now let's go get some mexican together ; )