Dear Precious Friends,
On this beautiful new day I am sharing a great reminder of truth. In this world there are great depths of the troubles and offenses being thrown at us at every turn. So my friends, how are we to respond?
I pray we can rise up to the wisdom God has for us. It is so easy to get caught up in our emotion when we feel we've been mistreated or when a comment is made that cuts us to the core. When we study scripture I am always amazed at how Jesus often responded to rudeness or insults by being quiet. Oh can we learn from this. I love this reminder:
Offense is the bait of satan. Don't take the bait! Instead, heal.
An unhealed person can find offense in pretty much anything someone does.
A healed person understands that the actions of others has absolutely nothing to do with them.
Each day we get to decide which one we will be. Peace-filled. Joy-filled. We must Choose peace. Choose joy.
Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
How do we show love and how can we be a peacemaker in our relationships? We love others and bring peace to our relationships when we follow what is true and do good.
God’s Word has a lot to say about how to treat one another and what our inner attitude should be. The basic principle is to treat others imitating the way God treats us. For example, we know God wants us to forgive and not harbor hostility in our hearts. We need to forgive others as He forgives us in Christ. This is a truth that applies to every relationship.
Here are a few scriptures to help us live this out:
Ephesians 4:15 “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”
Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
Colossians 4:6 “ Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
The basis of all our relationships is sincere love and acceptance of one another. This love involves recognizing and focusing on what is common among us and what connects us. We all have a common origin–we are made in the image and likeness of God.
So my friends, as Christ followers we are choosing joy and peace. We are tenderhearted, we forgive one another as Christ forgave us... May we walk in the spirit and remember the great love God has given us through sending Jesus to pay the price for our sin so we can have eternal life.
May we choose peace and joy today and share kindness and truth with all we come in contact with... especially those who offend us. May we be such a reflection of God's love that others want what we have... the greatest gift given. Jesus.
AMEN!
Source: God's word, Holy Spirit, Daily Devo
