Month: May 2026

Pressure Release

by Ms. Rita's Minute

Romans 13:10

“Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

The pressure of perfectionism, or the need to follow all the rules, is released when we decide to love everyone, including family and foes. The Bible tells us that whoever loves others fulfills the law. So, we may ask ourselves, until we are accustomed to walking in it by practice, “Am I showing love in this situation or encounter?”

Perhaps it just takes a load off when we simply grow in the traits of expressing love, versus placing too much emphasis on rules. Now rules are crucial and have their place, but the Bible clearly shows us the vast importance of love.

Love requires being considerate and respectful; seeing others with eyes of honor and value, despite how flawed they may look to us. The fact that we were created by God in His image is enough to establish that all people are valuable to Him.

Love involves forgiving, not dishonoring. When we’ve been offended, we are bold enough to tell the offender the truth, so there is no misunderstanding. This is definitely not always easy to do. I must say I struggle with it myself sometimes, opting to just pray for them and releasing the matter. Then, treating them as well as I am able, without mentioning that I had been offended.

Nevertheless, Jesus has taught us in the Bible to let people know when they’ve offended us and to forgive them, as He has forgiven us. This releases the pressure of being angry, resentful, and revengeful. Not to mention it ensures our heavenly Father will forgive us when we do wrong or offend Him.

We may not want the closeness of consistent fellowship with someone if we’ve experienced that we don’t get along or have little in common with them. But that doesn’t stop us from being pleasant and cordial toward them, or simply praying for them.

Love doesn’t deceive or neglect, but cares for the well-being of others. It does not selfishly use or manipulate others for one’s own gain, but authentically cares that they walk in the freedom and self-control the Holy Spirit gives.

Love allows us to be kind, patient, and humble. We don’t delight in evil, but rejoice with the truth, not recoil from it. When we rejoice, we express joy or gladness, doing so in the presence of whoever may have offended us by sharing God’s truth.

Love in our relationships involves sharing and receiving truth honestly, when it may feel difficult to accept. If it is a teaching or principle of the Bible, it should be accepted as truth and provided and welcomed in a spirit of love.

Moreover, when we love, we protect, not malign, others. We don’t say or do things intentionally to make people feel bad or to amuse others for laughter. In our offense, we may experience the temptation to expose or speak negatively about someone, but we don’t have to give in to it. The Lord sees, hears, and understands everyone and is well acquainted with our life experiences and the motives of our hearts. He handles any judgment or discipline for wrongdoing well.

As believers, faith, hope, and love are of great importance, yet the greatest, which fulfills the law, is love. It’s mentioned first in the list of God’s fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, and it is described in 1 Corinthians 12:31 as “the most excellent way.”

If we truly love someone, we do no harm to them. We love Jesus because He first loved us by sacrificing His life to save us. We sacrifice by submitting to others per the Holy Spirit’s leading, showing humility and honor to the very least of us.

As we practice love, we are walking in the Spirit, unafraid, as the Bible reminds us that perfect love casts out fear. Thankfully, Christ loved us at our worst, so we can now love others by the power of His Spirit living in us. He is our help when we feel it is too difficult to love, and He makes possible what seems impossible when we allow Him to do so. As we grow in this exercise, we experience the joy of how God can change someone’s life, by some act of love, great or small, that we’ve expressed toward them.

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More Scriptures on Love:

Exodus 20:6; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Deuteronomy 6:5; Song of Songs 1-2; Mark 12:28-34; Romans 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 John 4:7-21.

Healthy God’s Way

by Ms. Rita's Minute

Proverbs 3:7-8

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.“

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In a world where working out and adopting various diets or appetite suppressants are very popular, the Bible offers some interesting spiritual ways to achieve a healthy body.

In the book of Psalms 107:37, we see God’s preservation of His people when, after many years of horrific slavery, God restored the health and strength of the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. The Bible describes their health as such that there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

Imagine enduring the suffering of slavery for generations and then departing Egypt, trekking across the Red Sea, to Mount Sinai. Then, on through the wilderness of Kadesh-Barnea, wandering 40 years to the Plains of Moab. Then, later, crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land of Canaan. I’d say God preserved them well.

In Proverbs 3:7-8, we are shown three ways to achieve good health. We are told not to be wise in our own eyes, to fear the Lord, and to shun evil. Being wise in our own eyes means we lean on our own understanding and rely on our own knowledge, rather than seeking the Lord’s. We view fulfilling our desires and needs through our own perceptions, despite the Bible’s. We place a higher value on the wisdom of men than on God’s wisdom, choosing human knowledge instead of God’s kingdom provisions or remedies.

Fearing the Lord involves reverencing, honoring, and trusting His words; holding Him in higher esteem than ourselves; and relying on His wisdom in any situation. As regards evil, shunning it means turning from, avoiding, or rejecting it. We don’t embrace it as only human or natural, but as satanic and not for the Body of Christ. Amazingly, these behaviors actually bring health to our bodies and nourishment to our bones. We want healthy bones as they are the skeletal system that holds our bodies intact.

Proverbs 4:20-22 encourages us to pay attention to God’s wisdom, keeping His words in our hearts, not letting them out of our sight. This is crucial to our well-being as God’s words are “life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.”

These are some important instructions to remember, though there are others like Proverbs 17:22, which tells us “a cheerful heart is good medicine…”. Not to mention Proverbs 14:30 that says “a heart at peace gives life to the body…”. How awesome are these words to aid in being healthy? I’m aiming to apply these as a first priority, yet not forgetting the value of some natural ways.

Never Forget

by Ms. Rita's Minute

Deuteronomy 6:12

“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

You may have heard the quote, “Don’t forget God when you get what you’ve prayed for.” Well, in Deuteronomy 6, Moses is speaking to the Israelites about the things the Lord had directed him to teach them regarding the land of milk and honey they were going to possess. These were commands, decrees, and laws that they were to observe so that it would go well with them, their children, and their children after them, so that they would enjoy a long life.

Today, we have the entire Bible to show us God’s character and what He likes and dislikes. It shows us His history with His children and how he loved and communicated with them. It also shows us the blessings and curses they received due to their obedience or disobedience, as well as the patterns that human beings show in behavior from time to time. As a result, we learn from their mistakes and triumphs. In addition, we are shown glimpses of the future and what we can expect to occur. Hence, we are able to note the signs of the times and follow any instructions that we are given.

As to the uniqueness of our own personal lives, we have varying degrees of challenges and growth. We are still encouraged to never forget what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives. We should be mindful to remember what we as believers have been taught, despite anyone’s attempt to change or distort them. In 2 Peter 1:12-15, Peter pledges to always remind believers of the foundational truths of our faith.

2 Timothy 2:8 tells us: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel.” This shows the high value of the resurrection of Jesus, which is key in the Christian faith. It is a reminder of the hope and confidence we believers have in our own resurrection through Christ.

Those wonderful truths that we learn from the Bible help us to enjoy a long life and inspire our obedience. Though Christ has made atonement for our sin, it still has its consequences when we intentionally indulge, and God wants it to go well with us. Therefore, remembering and being grateful for who He is and what He’s already done is a good exercise.

May we never forget all the Lord has done for us. Sometimes, the blessings or troubles of life may distract us from remembering. Yet in remembering, our faith is strengthened, and we experience more peace in life. Not to mention we please the Lord.

Godly Perfection

by Ms. Rita's Minute

Matthew 5:48

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

There are various characteristics of perfection as we know it, but what does the Bible say about being perfect?

In this instance of Matthew 5:48, Jesus is teaching His disciples about loving their enemies. He talked about how if they loved those who loved them and greeted only their own people, what reward would that bring? He questioned what difference that would be from others, as even pagans did the same. He then tells them to be perfect, as their heavenly Father is perfect.

Perfect, here, is translated in Greek as teleios: having reached its end, mature, complete. Strong’s Concordance adds, “complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); … of full age, man … .”

This would be somewhat different from our English version of being perfect: “being entirely without fault or defect: flawless … satisfying all requirements … .” Yet the Lord with providing the gift of salvation by faith, created a system of sanctification by which we are set apart for God’s special purpose; along with a process of transformation performed by the Holy Spirit, into Christ’s likeness.

Romans 8:29 tells us, “For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Moreover, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Hence, God has done so much for us by sacrificing His Son to atone for our sins and then providing a way for us to be changed into His likeness through His Holy Spirit. Part of our maturing process would include actions like loving our enemies, being salt and light (salt preserves and light reveals, much needed in this age), and not harboring anger toward our brothers and sisters. Letting others see our good deeds glorifies our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Of all the things that we might find to do in serving the Lord, these are things Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5 that model perfection in God’s eyes. Let’s pray for one another, that as we grow in unity, we prioritize those things that please the Lord most. When we aren’t sure, all we need to do is ask Him, and He will surely let us know. He’s given us His handbook for a fulfilling and impactful Christian life. May His Holy Spirit help us to read it as much as possible.