Date: February 12, 2024

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to Him be the Glory, Power, and Dominion forever and ever and to the Holy Ghost yet abiding in the body. For February, the weekly messages will focus on the HEART. Jeremiah 17:10 reads, “I, the Lord, search the heart; I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” “And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” Romans 8:27.  

One of the most challenging teachings of Jesus Christ is His directive to love our enemies. It defies our instincts and societal norms, pushing us beyond comfort. Loving our enemies can be a task, but love is at the heart of Christian discipleship. Unforgiveness, jealousy, envy, hate, and strife are emotions that cannot be seen inward. However, my brothers and sisters, Matthew 23:28 says, “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”This week’s message is about the inward heart. I Samuel 16:7 reads, “But the LORD said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

It is essential to grasp that envy coincides with covetousness, and jealousy starts from the position of being a have-not. Envy concerns love and the ability to love and be loved by others. Hence, envy’s connection to love makes envy a severe vice that reflects and inflicts damage on the human heart. Despite this, God’s love for us and sincerely seeking to love one another is the antidote to envy. We can see the power of forgiveness and grace in the lives of Joseph (Genesis 50:15-21) and Job (Job 42:7-10, who both forgave those who wronged them, and we see the hold of unforgiveness and rage on others like Joash, who murdered the priest who disagreed with him (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), and even Jonah, who was angry at God’s compassion (Jonah 4:1-3). Being able to forgive does not change our present; it changes our future.

In closing, I don’t know where you are in your journey of forgiveness. Perhaps your bitterness, envy, anger, jealousy, and strife are still fresh in your heart, and you need time to process it all.  Today, this hour, minute, and second, my brothers and sisters, God is asking you to let go. I encourage you to pray. To trust God. To forgive your offender. And after you have forgiven and been released from the prison of bitterness, God will flood your life with the joy and peace you lost along the way on your Christian journey.

Until next week, let us remember, “…with God, all things are possible” Matthew 19:26. 

In His Service,

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop