I asked my pastor today about what I was thinking and feeling in regard to those who judge and tear others down while they sit and church and proclaim theirselves to be Christians. This is his answer to me. Brandon Starnes I received the message – and I must say that I was unaware of this. In fact, I am not sure who the “she” is. (and I don’t know that I need to know). The last several days, I have been preparing messages for the coming weeks… One of them reminds me of this very situation ;-) I have found that in my life it usually warrants letting go or shaking off most of the “stuff” that happens between me and other believers. If I did not, I surely believe that I would be a friend to only a few and a certainly not a Pastor J Honestly, when I am hurt and offended, I think about the admonition of Ephesians 4… forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you (me). Let us make some basic assumptions about ourselves and the other folks that attend our church regularly…. They Love God – yet are sinners They Want what is Best for others – but sometimes put self-first. They Love the Brethren (and Sisters) – but sometimes forget to show/tell it. They want to Grow in Christ – yet in certain areas they do not They rejoice in the Truth – yet sometimes attack other believers. They know they are only a sinner saved by Grace – but at times think themselves better than others They realize that no one is perfect – but despite the best intentions compare and think evil of each other. Truly said, often ALL of us find ourselves in one of the above categories…. Let us forgive, forget, and by God’s grace move on. I wish this had not happened to you, but it did. You cannot control the thoughts, actions , and intents of others (nor can I), but we CAN control our responses (Romans 12:14-16). Let me pass on a piece of advice that someone else gave me a long time ago. It was in reference to a similar circumstance. The advice was simple and straight forward: Bake Them A Cake. I guess one could literally do this , but in my case it was not practical – perhaps my baking would be offensive J The advice is sound Do/Be Kind and loving. This is the attitude that Christ so often expresses to us He forgives (even if we have not asked – The Blood of Christ is the cleansing agent) and He blesses us – and we have never and will never be worth of such favor. Don’t worry about Facebook and such, rather worry about how you can minister to this person and show them the love of Christ. To me, these type things are difficult (Because inside we want to be right, important, etc), but they are the easiest way to show that Christ lives in us – John 13:35. God’s Blessing and Grace to You!
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 02:20:19 +0000
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