"I thought this was a great devotional. It made you think. What we see is who we are or who we are is what we will see. Because I have been called to encourage God's people. I see the good and encourage others to do good.

But there are times that I just don't understand the negitive in people when God is so good. But now I understand. Some people are negitve; that is the way that they are and that is the way that they see others. To the pure all things are pure. God Bless You. "

--Encourager Linda Flagg (USA)
Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:19:41 AM

"I just stumbled upon this devotional and I appreciate the point made regarding how we view ourselves and the way we thus view others based on that. I find this to be quite true. I am, I believe, both by my sinful natural tendencies combined with the environment I grew up in, an insecure person. This causes me to battle with the temptation to notice flaws in others, as if that will help me to feel better about myself. (Of course, it doesn't work.) Only being near to the Lord helps with that. I can easily read into what others say because I am insecure and thus overly sensitive. Scriptures such as "Love covers a multitide of sins" and "It's to your own glory to overlook an offense" have been helpful to me in fighting the battle of criticism toward others. I do not believe this means I am to just sit back an watch someone sin in the name of "overlooking their offenses"; but I am to speak the truth in love, and to expose shameful deeds in hope the other will repent. But I do believe that not all offenses are necessarily sins on another's part, but simply my own dislike of a certain way of doing or saying something based on personality diffreneces, or my perception of what their motives and intents were (which could inaccurate). Those are the things I must overlook. I have read the previous comments and I think the differences in responses, some very positive and others negative, are a case in point about how people can see things differently, some taking offense where others don't. But my opinion is that it was a timely message to me from the Lord who knows my current situation and wants to help protect my relationships by continuing to remind me to overlook what I perceive as offenses (due to analyzing the tone or specific words said)and not be overly sensitive. I have discovered often enough that the other's tone had nothing to do with me, but where that person was at or what he or she was dealing with at the time; or the specific words could have just as easily been perceived in a diffrent, more positve light - usually depending where I am at in life and how I am feeling about myself at that time. I need to assume the best about the other person. "

--Holly (USA)
Mon, 17 May 2010 06:53:13 AM

"I thank God for this devotional! Most importantly the prayer! I have been battling within myself when it comes to people and their evil ways but I have been responding negatively and being really sensitive about it! This is an on time word! "

--Dawn (United States )
Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:46:39 PM

"I had a friend that I knew was God given who really began to annoy me with competitiveness with our children,etc. I asked God to release me from this friendship. I was weeding my garden at the time and the Lord said J---- is my divine gardening tool. I said, Lord, for what? He said, To root out covetousness. I was really convicted because deep down I couldn't understand why her life was so blessed and I had so many financial and family problems at the time. I didn't think she deserved God's favor. I have learned that people are in our lives to show us something about ourselves."

--Gloria (USA)
Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:16:46 PM

"I agree whole heartedly with this insightful devotional. God is dealing with this right now in me and I am grateful to be reminded that we are called to love our neighbour as ourself and pray that we can all see the image of God in all believers and overlook their faults.rn"

--David (Ireland)
Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:30:54 AM

"This is a powerful message giving true light to how we view ourself and also give great reference to Matthew 7:2 (NIV) For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. also Matthew 7:5 (NIV) You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Being able to see is very important and when watching with our eyes it should always be on ourselves and not other. thank you for the blessing"

--Madlyn ((USA))
Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:07:12 AM

"Great devotional. very true. I am reminded to be loving so i can overlook petty faults, be accepting and forgiving. thank you!

just one thing - i don't think the illustration and your point really go very well in terms of relevancy. i may use the illustration to illustration on how we need to see things as a whole...."

--Beatrice (Singapore)
Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:38:57 PM

"The devotional is very good. One comment about the "eye-twister"...if a person hadn't learned phonics, I wonder if they could read and know what it is saying. "

--Haven (USA)
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:18:13 PM

"Flowers are God's autograph."

--Thomas (USA)
Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:57:48 PM

"The statement at the end of today's lesson is largely false and untrue, and stems from today's Pop (Dr. Phil-type) humanistic, secular psychology, and not God's revealed truth in His Word. "What we see is who we ARE, or WHO we are is WHAT we will see" is a totally false suggestion/proposition that is not supported by any scripture. Love does indeed cover a multitude of sins, BUT ONLY FOR OUR FELLOW BELIEVERS. Otherwise, according to Dick Innes today, we would be at fault for warning/judging those that live in sin and do not believe in or serve/obey Jesus Christ. Loving one another refers to the behavior of Christians to each other, Not toward Unbelievers. If our love for unbelievers "covered their multitude of THEIR sins," we'd have no place to warn them to repent and accept Christ. Anecdotal, feel-good teachings just like this one are extremely dangerous since they fail to present the proper distinctions for the sake of conveying a "feel good" type of spiritual truth; and as a result convey a very false message. What I "see" is an extremely sinful, wicked world that needs God's mercy, love and forgiveness. But that will NOT come about unless they are lovingly confronted/presented with the Truth of what God declares as Sinful. I am God's loving messenger called to warn sinners of the consequences of rejecting God and failing to REPENT, and the benefits of receiving His Love and forgiveness. I am NOT "what I SEE," I am what God saved me to do, which is present the Truth to an evil world where Satan loves to tell lies that result in an eternity in Hell, where regret for the lost/rejected opportunities to do the right thing is the eternal anguish of souls. Today's closing dictum or proverb is largely false and leads to a logic that is terribly flawed and contrary to God's Word. See II Tim. 3:12-13 and I John 3:16-19"

--Lawrence A. Kelley III (Washington, D.C. 20009)
Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:59:19 AM

"Pettiness is just another form of insecurity and one of the tricks of the enemy that is used quite often and effectively. Depending on the situation, overlooking it can be a challenge. Thank God for challenges--for when you overcome the challenge you rise to the spiritual. Keep your spirit man filled with love and be victorious!"

--Sandra (USA)
Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:47:57 AM

"I don't think my husband and I could have lived together for 54 years in March if we hadn't learned to overlook petty things in each other. As someone has said, "You choose your battles." rnI'm so thankful that others have overlooked my petty faults and showed me love. "

--Geneva Poynter (USA)
Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:53:51 AM