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We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:26 (GNT)
I have a friend who seems to find great fulfillment in annoying people. He’d never admit it, of course, but it’s almost as if he considers irritating others a spiritual gift of some sort! He would often boast to me about how he cornered people who had differing views politically, theologically or socially. He was a well-versed and well-studied man in both the scriptures and the political scene so his arguments were hard to dispute and his persistence was relentless.
While I agreed with many of his arguments, his tactics bothered me. There was one time in which he actually boasted to me about how he’d offended the people in a particular political party booth. Not surprisingly, my friend had few close friends although he was well known in many circles.
When Paul is writing to the Galatians he is writing to a group of people who were well-versed in doctrine. However, they had taken their knowledge and used it as a platform to let everyone know how ‘right they were’ and had no patience or time for anyone who differed with them theologically or doctrinally. His message to the believers is to refrain from using their knowledge of scripture as a tool to irritate and antagonize those who believed and lived differently than they did.
The key to peace with God is relationship, a relationship built on Jesus Christ. The key to peace with ourselves is confidence in and acceptance of who we are, or, again relationship with ourselves. The key to peace with others is, you guessed it, relationship. To have a strong relationship with others means we are more intent on building peace than arguments.
When we are honest with ourselves we have to admit that most of the conflict we have with other people is the result of our trying to be ‘better’ than someone else either in what we believe or what we do. Jesus, as creator God never used his superior knowledge to antagonize those who needed forgiveness. In the same way, we are called to spread the good news, not adversity. As believers in Jesus Christ we are commissioned to build up not tear down. To live in peace and unity, not antagonize.
Paul admonishes us to ‘live at peace with others when at all possible.’ Don’t be the reason for the strife in your relationships. Hold others in higher esteem than you hold yourself. Living at peace with yourself is the first step to living at peace with others.
There is no place in the Christian life for us to ridicule others, or mock them for their beliefs. People have a right to be wrong and to be valued in spite of their beliefs. We don’t need to agree with others to live at peace with them.
PRAYER: Lord I thank you for who I am. Forgive me for those times when I compare myself and what I have to others. Empower me to live at peace with myself and what you have given me so that I can live at peace with those around me. Amen.
Please help me, LORD! All who were faithful and all who were loyal have disappeared. Psalm 12:1 (CEV)
Talk to anyone from ‘the Good Ole’ Days’ for very long and they’ll tell you things have changed. My Grandfather sold real estate for over 30 years. The way he did business back then would never fly today. Too many forms to fill out, regulations to adhere to and protective measures to put in place. Much of Grandpa’s business was done with a handshake and a smile. Why? Because a man’s word was good back then.
Not so today. Politicians tell every group what they want to hear. Those enlisted to protect the public can’t always be trusted to treat everyone the same. Vows made at the altar are sometimes broken before the day is finished. Even those called to minister for the Lord fall by the wayside because of moral, ethical or spiritual collapse.
I stopped at a local fast food place the other day. Since I was in a hurry I used the drive through to order a sandwich. As I pulled away with my purchase I parked to double check my order. It was wrong! I went into the building and explained my situation to the young lady behind the counter. She was very polite and apologetic. “OH! I’m so sorry! Keep this one and I’ll get you the right one.”
With that she turned and got the crew working on getting me the right sandwich. In the meantime she apologized continually for the mistake. I finally said, “It’s okay! I’m not upset. It’s fine.”
At that point she said, “Well, you see, we’ve had people come in very angry. I’m not used to people like you who aren’t upset.”
As she handed me my correct sandwich I smiled and said, “Well, the difference is, I’m human. I know we all make mistakes.”
As I got in my car I thought of how my one small gesture of kindness and understanding had most likely made that young woman’s day. I didn’t pull out a Bible and start preaching to her. I didn’t hand her a gospel tract or explain how people should be more careful. I simply showed her the love of Christ.
Being faithful begins with you. Be faithful to yourself by realizing your own faults and living with the understanding that you are human. You will make mistakes. You will falter, perhaps even fall. But God’s grace can lift you up. When we realize our own weakness, it’s far easier to deal with the mistakes others make.
Secondly be faithful to your God. As a Christ-follower you are the representation of Christ’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness for others to see. Your heavenly Father knows your weakness. He knows you will fail him every day. Yet, in spite of your inability to follow his laws, in spite of your lack of commitment to him, he loves you and wants a relationship with you. Faithfulness to God begins with a proper understanding and acceptance of who you are and deepens as you grow deeper in God through study, prayer and worship (corporate as well as private).
Lastly, be faithful to those around you. Be a person of your word. If you make a promise, fulfill it. If you fail, confess it and ask forgiveness, realizing you may have damaged a relationship, but you have done everything in your power to restore it. Put the feelings of others before your own rights. In essence, “Be Jesus in Skin” to all those around you.
At the end of the day, may all those who have come in contact with you know the answer to the question “Where have all the faithful gone?” They will answer with your name.
PRAYER: Father I’ve been unfaithful in so many ways. I’ve lost sight of who I am. I’ve grown far from you. I find myself demanding my rights before protecting the rights of others. Empower me with your spirit to be a faithful person so that other will see Christ in me. Amen.
Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying. Hebrews 12:3 (NCV)
The writer to the Hebrews challenges us to press on in the face of ‘wicked people’ intent on doing evil things to us. The example he uses is the ultimate example of love, grace, patience, mercy and forgiveness, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the writer reminds us, endured attacks by evil people yet he held on to accomplish the task before him in spite of the adversity.
You mind may conjure up visions of these ‘wicked people’ who were a constant thorn in Jesus side throughout his ministry. You may see battles similar to Cowboys and Indians, or Cops and Robbers. Maybe you see some heavenly version of ‘Star Wars’ being played out with Jesus in the center of the battle and enemy warriors surrounding him.
Before you let your imagination run wild, think for a moment of whom the ‘wicked people’ were that the writer is referring to. Maybe you are thinking it was the Romans. After all, they were ruthless warriors whose army ruled the known world with an iron fist. But frankly, the Romans weren’t interested in Jesus. Caesar was perfectly fine letting the Jews have their religion and their prophets as long as they remained in political subjection to the Roman Government by paying taxes and behaving themselves. Jesus was just another religious zealot in a long line of kooks that walked the paths of Palestine.
The ‘wicked people’ probably weren’t women in Galilee and the surrounding area. Jesus’ treatment of women was remarkable compared to society of the day. When Jesus walked the paths of Galilee the top priorities were livestock, children and women, in that order. Jesus elevated women to a place of importance equal to men.
Robbers? Tax Collectors? The poor and destitute? Prostitutes? The wealthy? Were they the wicked people? Not likely. These were the very people that sought Jesus out for comfort and a word of hope and forgiveness. Nor were those who opposed the Roman Government. Even though Jesus never spoke in opposition to the Romans, he certainly spoke a message of freedom and hope. Many mistakenly thought he would become King of Israel.
So, again, just who were the people the writer of Hebrews is referring to? Who were these wicked people that were always a constant thorn in the side of Jesus? Sadly, those who opposed Jesus the most were the religious people of the day. The ones with the status and respect of the people.
As you struggle through the path of life you are on, remember this. Jesus endured the same scoffing you have endured. He saw firsthand how people who ‘failed’ were treated. They are the ones he reached out to.
It doesn’t matter what struggle you are enduring right now, Jesus understands. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t allow those who are intent on reminding you of your failures and weaknesses to pull you down. Jesus knows all about your struggle. He didn’t come to condemn you. He came to encourage, to offer hope and forgiveness. To extend the grace of God to you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you today for the fact that you understand my struggles and love me even though I fail. Empower me with your spirit to stop listening to those who want to pull me down. Help me rise above the attacks so I can live in the freedom a relationship with you offers. Amen.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19
When we were young we lived on a small hobby farm in the country. Often, on warm summer night we would go for walks in the woods, following a makeshift trail. One time in particular we were using the opportunity to try out our new flashlights we’d gotten from our grandparents. Halfway through the adventure, my flashlight quit working. It was a moonless night and it was dark!
We’d made this hike hundreds of times at day and at night, but since I’d had light and now was ‘in the dark’ it was scary. I had been in the lead but my brother and I decided that I should relinquish that position since he had the working flashlight. With his guidance (and flashlight!) we were able to make it safely back to the house avoiding the obstacles in our way.
I think of that situation every once in awhile when I read this verse. Jesus invites me to follow him. He doesn’t order me to follow him. It’s my choice. I can decide to take shortcuts. I can go off on my own and try to make my way ‘home’ taking my chances at stumbling over rocks, falling into holes or having a branch slap me across the face. Or, I can follow the light and let it guide me through the troubled times.
Following Jesus isn’t the same as ‘following’ someone on some social networking site. He doesn’t ask me to follow him for his sake; he invites me to follow him for my safety and protection. Jesus knows the safest, and the most fulfilling path for me to follow. It may not be the easiest. It may not be the most glamorous. But it’s the best path for me.
Following Jesus takes risk. I risk being the most popular. I risk being wealthy. I risk having the most toys. What I lose following Jesus pales in comparison to what I gain. Rev. Billy Graham had a friend, George Beverly Shea, who turned down a lucrative recording contract to sing for Jesus. His voice could have brought him millions of dollars. Instead, his songs were instrumental in winning millions to Jesus. I may lose temporary treasure here on earth, but what I gain lasts for eternity.
Following Jesus is exclusive. There are many in the world that will tell you of other ways to happiness, other ways to fame and fortune, other ways to fulfillment of your true self. Who knows better what you need? Someone you have never met or the one who formed you in your mother’s womb? Jesus knows the very best path for you to follow because he made you…and he made the path!
Following Jesus is passionate. When you are in a passion filled relationship you want nothing more than to be in close proximity to the one whom you love. Jesus longs for a passionate relationship with you so that, like Adam and Eve, you can walk the path of life together.
PRAYER: Jesus it’s so easy for me to stray from the path. So many times when I decide my way is faster, safer, quicker and more profitable. Following my path has led to nothing but heartache and frustration. I want to follow you completely. Forgive me for straying. Empower me with your Spirit to follow only you. In your name I pray, Amen.
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Romans 8:33 (NLT)
A friend of mine, I’ll call him John, tells this story:
John was a pastor of a small church in a quaint village out east. This was the type of town where everyone knew everyone and would give a hand when necessary to help those in need. When my friend arrived in town the small church was in its last stages of life. The congregation was small and largely made up of elderly people. It was considered by some to be ministerial suicide because many a pastor had left defeated and maligned by this demanding congregation. My friend was, in a sense, the last ditch effort to keep the struggling ministry alive.
Although the ministry was hard and progress was slow, things began to change in the small church. Word got out that there was a ‘new guy’ at ‘FirstChurch’ and gave it a try. They stayed on and helped with some of the much needed changes and upkeep in the ministry.
One Sunday morning a new couple came through the doors. The pastor was informed of this and warned. “They are nothing but trouble pastor. He is a drunk and has made quite a spectacle of himself on several occasions. She is suspected of beating the children and their oldest claims to worship Satan! We can’t let them stay. They’ll destroy the reputation of our church!”
John tucked the information away in his mind but did nothing. The couple attended off and on for a time but soon became more regular. The kids rarely came and rumors had it that the kids were threatening evil to the church. There was evidence of an attempted break-in one night, but nothing could be proven. John continued to accept the couple in and often smelled alcohol on their breath as they left Sunday mornings.
One day the husband came to John and asked if he could be the listener for the Bible Club on Wednesday night. His job would simply be to listen to children recite verses. Against the warning of some of the people in his church, John accepted the offer. About six months after this story began both the husband and wife accepted Christ as Savior.
John was at that small church for seven years before moving on. The ministry was growing spiritually and physically when John was called to another ministry in another state. It was a tough decision to leave, but one that John knew was right.
Fifteen years after he left he happened to run into the man who’d taken his place. In the course of conversation he asked about this man and woman. A smile came to the face of the pastor as he told John that even though they had moved out of town, their legacy of faith and caring lived on. Just the week before the couple’s daughter had returned to the small church and asked forgiveness for things she’d done as a youth. She had accepted Jesus as her savior and wanted to be restored to fellowship!
John had tears in his eyes as he told this story. Then he looked at me and said, “What would have happened if I’d listened to those who’d so quickly judged?”
Every day you and I rub shoulders with people who have already been judged because of their economic standing, addictions, sexual orientation or a whole list of standards. As Christ-followers we stand at a crossroad. Will we accept them and risk our reputations in order to offer Christ’s forgiveness or will we stand on ‘principle’ and send them away? John reached out to others in the same way that Jesus did and the results were lives changed for eternity. Many people don’t feel like they measure up because of past or present circumstances. As Christ-followers we are called to reach out to all people with his love.
PRAYER: Father God, it’s so hard to accept people who are different than me. Especially those who drag your name in the mud, and mock my faith. I find myself avoiding the very situations and people that your Son sought out. Empower me by your Spirit to reach out to those who need you the most and not judge them. In your name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 