I’m talking about those that are in-your-face, easily
offended, mouthy, chest puffed out, fists drawn at the blink of an eye, and
just ready to go at it no matter what. A
dirty fork at a restaurant? Shout and
scream! A telemarketer calls in the
middle of dinner? Cussing and cursing
ensue! Someone takes the parking lot you’re
headed to? Obscenities shouted out the window!
Someone mistreats in any small inconsequential way? Ball up your fists! Scream! Storm out of the room completely
offended!
Yes, all this is acceptable behavior in some sects of our
society. It’s answered with “yeah man, I’d
have throat punched that @#$%!” or “happens
to me all the time – I feel ya!” or even “call me if you need me”, as if two
idiots would solve the problem instead of making it worse. Friends, please don’t encourage bad
behavior. You become an accomplice to
the sin when you add fuel to the fire.
But what does God say about when we’re offended? Does he say “boldly stand your ground and let
no man take you for granted”? Nope! Does he say “verily, verily, an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth, seek your vengeance immediately on those that
offend you”? Uh…no! Does he say “let their sins against you be
known to the general public so that all can be offended with you”? Sorry, but no again.
Here’s what He says:
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5
Meekness, that characteristic that is quiet, gentle, not
standing up for themselves but choosing to live in peace instead of conflict,
is rewarded! News flash! God likes
meekness.
“But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever
slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” – Matthew 5:39
To “turn the other cheek” requires not being angry when they
do “slap” you. Or, let’s put this in
modern terms, as there’s not a lot of slapping going on.
If they gossip about you behind your back, still talk to
them and let it be.
If they steal from you, give them what they need so they don’t
have to steal. (Trust God. He will reward you with greater.)
If they take advantage of your good natured generosity,
allow them to. It’s better to give than
receive and they’re opening the door for you to have many more blessings.
If they mouth off to you, insulting you, shouting and
screaming and yes, even causing you to cry….love them anyway.
You see, love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). God is love, and in showing them love, you
show them God. Ah, it would be easy to
show them yourself, right? Oh it would feel so good to show them what you got
inside. But would that be good for you or
them? Nope! Show them God.
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” – Ephesians 4:26-27
God never tells us NOT to be angry. That would be like telling us NOT to see! He gave us eyes to see, and a heart that can
be angry. Anger is a tool to be
used. Anger is good because it comes
from knowing right and wrong. Understand
what it is about the situation that makes you angry. Was your pride hurt? Get rid of your pride. Was their opinion of you not what you thought
it was? Learn to care more about what
God thinks of you. Was your opinion of
them hurt in that you never thought they’d act that way? Seriously, there’s not a soul on earth that
won’t disappoint you, and chances are you’ve disappointed many. Forgive them.
Finding the cause of your anger will help you dispel it, dissolve
it, and wash it away. If you use your
anger to better yourself, soon you will not react out of anger, but out of
love. Point in fact: Jesus Christ. He had every right to be angry, to hate the
people He came to save, to leave His unbelieving untrusting disciples along the
road side – but he didn’t. And only once was His anger evident and that was in righteous
indignation of what was done in the temple.
No, His reaction was not sin – it was justice, in the same way that the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was justice, and in the same way that Hell is
justice.
Finally, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 how we should
deal with those that offend us:
“… on the contrary, you ought rather
to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with
too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your
love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you
to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if
indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the
presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for
we are not ignorant of his devices.”
That’s right, it is Satans tool to have you
be unforgiving and unloving to those that hurt your feelings. Because if you don’t forgive, God does not
forgive you. Yeah, that’s BIBLE! Matthew 6:15 says “But
if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.”
So instead of saying “I’m going to punch you
in the throat”, how about learning to say “Bro, you hurt me, but I’m going to
love you anyway.”? All things are
possible WITH God.
Finally, let’s dispel the idea that being
kind to those that offend us hurts them.
So many people rely on one verse to back up this claim. Romans 12:20 says “Therefore “If your
enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing
you will heap coals of fire on his
head.” Oh boy! Heaping coals of fire on
the head of our enemy feels good when we’re angry, doesn’t it? But that’s not what it’s all about.
Read that verse again.
It says, take care of his needs.
Feed him if he’s hungry. Give him
a cold glass of water on a hot day. And
yes, heap coals of fire on his head. In
the days this was written families had to have fire to cook and warm their
houses. If their fire went out, they put
a basket on their head and would ask others for coals from their fire. “Heaping”, mounting up a big bunch of coals
on their head, would be an offering of love.
Ah, there it is again….God says love your enemy.
Hopefully this is an eye opener to some “bad
ass” who would like to pursue a peaceful life.
My intent is not to harm, but to show you a better way to live. God’s way is always better you see. That’s why He gives His word to us – to show
us an easier way of life. Lean on Him
when your anger strikes and your anger bones start to flare up. His way is peace. His way is love. His way is forgiveness.
So many of the storms in our life are created by
ourselves. Be the calm in your raging sea.
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