‘Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. ‘ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
I struggle with what I see going on in this world now, but if I spend too much time focusing on those things, I will not be effective to those the Lord has placed around me.
When we focus on things that are outside of our control and allow them to stifle our effectiveness in helping those directly around us, we are not serving God.
‘For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ‘ Ephesians 6:12
We tend to see those around us that we disagree with as being our enemies. But they are not our enemies; they are in the same battle. A spiritual battle that has been waging since before our birth.
We stand opposed to:
The opposing political party
The religious denomination that doesn’t reflect our denomination’s views
People that don’t look like us
People that don’t think like us
People that have done wrong to us
People that have hurt us
This list can go on and on…
Even if we look at another as an enemy, Jesus gave us explicit instructions on how to act.
‘ “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.’ Matthew 5:43-48
We tend to want to see someone who has done wrong pay the price for it. We want justice!! But when we do something wrong, we want forgiveness. We want grace.
Wouldn’t it make sense that we should want for others what we want for ourselves?
Could it be possible that people will look at us as hypocrites when we resist what Jesus has called us to do? And there is the rub!
We invalidate our beliefs when we claim to believe in God’s grace but do not extend that same grace to the world around us.
‘I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.’ 1 Corinthians 9:27
As human beings, we tend to react emotionally to those things that threaten us in any way. I am not talking about immediate physical threats here; I am talking about when what we believe is challenged.
If we feel our emotions rise in any given, non-threatening situation, it is time to step back and do two things:
One – Pray. What this looks like for me is when I find myself in a situation where I want the situation or the person I am dealing with to change, my ears start to get red and physically hot.
When I know this is happening, I know I am wrong, regardless of right or wrong. God has helped me see that I am only responsible for how I act or react in any situation. The rest is in His hands.
When I try to impress my will on anything outside of my thinking, words, and actions, I try to change what God has in hand.
‘Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. ‘ Romans 14:12-13
We will give an account of our thoughts, words, and actions. Not one of us will escape God’s judgment.
So what do we do as believers?
‘A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.’ 2 Timothy 2:24-26
The one thing that we need to keep in mind is that a person’s salvation will come at the hands of God, not us. As Christians, we are called to live our lives in God’s will and to bring the hope we have to the world around us. Some will respond to the call, and some will not.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. I pray that You continue to do Your work and give me the strength and courage to act on Your Spirit’s promptings.
I pray for the people that You have put into my life. I ask You to allow my life to stand as an example to those around me as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, my Lord, and Savior.
I pray for the hearts of my family, co-workers, and church family. I pray that You bring them all into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and save their souls.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
