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1 Corinthians 3:1-4
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal, and behaving like mere men?
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal, and behaving like mere men?
Things happen, and at times individuals say and do things
that are not wise and not kind. Then
they are sorry and apologize, but not all involved are forgiving, rather they
want to lead a parade. Not with words,
but they indicate; come follow me and we will hate those we should love.
I can rationalize and give an excuse saying the one
acting out was overworked, tired and deserved to react but did it without
consideration for the after effects.
For others I can again rationalize and understand their
remarks are because of the way they were raised in a large family where arguing
and tearing down each other was constant so this is a continued pattern that is
carried into their new family.
There are times when I must examine my own heart and
there I discover resentments that I thought were long ago removed. Yes, the Bible tells us that “The Heart is
deceitful and utterly wicked and who can know it.”
As mature adults it is up to us to recognize
where these feeling are coming from and make a decision as to who to
follow.
We must realize that Satan is
the liar, thief and destroyer and he tries to destroy relationships.
Honestly I consider and realize that I do NOT want to
hate those who have wronged me, rather the Bible says to pray for those who
hatefully use you, and to be kind to them.
We can pass over and ignore a young child who says
hateful remarks, because they have not been taught to watch their words and to
only speak what you want others to hear.
Perhaps I can excuse these individuals, because they are
still acting as babes and have not grown up enough to learn to forgive and walk
in love.
There is a grave danger in holding grudges, anger and
hate because a venom is released into the physical body harming one’s health. The evil spoken against, often returns to the
one who send it.
Another danger is those children who love and adore the
one who is spewing and therefore pick up on this poisoned fuse of dynamite and
join in the parade.
For myself, I must do some praying in earnest for all concerned;
those who act unwisely and for those who respond with hate and unforgiveness.
Who is the one to follow?
I must choose to follow Jesus
3 comments:
I needed to read this today, Hazel. It's easy to let the frustrations get the better of us. This is a good perspective and striving for the new year. Happy New Year, sister.
I've been reading Andrew Murray this past week on humility. Jesus is the only one to follow as He is our greatest example of forgiveness and humility, no matter what the situation.
A quote from Murray: “Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”
― Andrew Murray
Oops! Forgot to say Happy New Year Dear Hazel!!
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