All I have to do is cruise Facebook, or the internet, to discover all the "righteous indignation" against _______________ (you fill in the blank). What we have failed to realize is that all of our railing against the world will not change one single person. Love is much more powerful.
I have often used these verses from James to remind people that God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth. Therefore, we should listen twice as much as we speak. What I failed to add to that equation is that He also gave us a heart. The next time we are faced with the "sin" of someone else, or when we become offended, we should check our heart before we do anything.
This weeks big offense seems to be Miley Cyrus and her performance at the VMA. While I'm not a fan of what she did, I'm also not shocked by those in the entertainment industry. How could I feel justified in tearing her down when I see people who are not on a stage make decisions that are just as bad, just as embarrassing, and just as foolish? Didn't she have a song just a couple of years ago that said "Everybody makes mistakes"? The point that I'm trying to make here is if you want to be offended, there are plenty of things to get offended about. This week it may be Miley but next week it will be someone else. What we cannot do is justify our anger because the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
In the few short hours that I have been awake, I have seen several articles that are meant to create offense. All are based on moral issues. Bad choices that have become public. In our anger we want to react and react loudly. But what if we took James' approach? What if we chose our words and our actions much more carefully? What if we responded rather than reacting?
Pay ATTENTION to these words of wisdom:
Proverbs 10:19, "Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues."
Proverbs 14:29, "Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly."
Proverbs 29:20, "Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them."
Ecclesiastes 7:9, "Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."
Has God not given us a Spirit of self-control? Does the love of God not abide in us? I wonder what the affect would be in someones life if we responded through prayer rather than criticism? What would happen if we chose to love people where they are rather than bring down condemnation? I say all of this while living in a world that is filled with self-promoting theologians, world class parents, etc (YES...the SARCASM is THICK here). We treat everyone else as if we have no need for mercy in our own lives. Our self-righteousness seems to fuel our need to be better than the other person. This attitude seems to remind me of Jesus' story of the Pharisee & the Tax Collector: "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." [Luke 18:11-14]
When you and I choose to operate in love, we are not condoning the decisions of another person. However, what we are doing is keeping our eye on the prize - the other person. Too often we are content to win an argument without ever asking ourselves which is more important: the person or the argument? Think about it. Ask yourself if you are willing to walk in the same Spirit of Jesus which says "Neither do I condemn you."
Love is powerful and it needs to be a part of our journey. It will look past the pain, the junk, and the offenses of others and discover that which God has created. Then you can choose to be a part of the healing in their lives rather than being a part of the "Dog Pile" of judgment on their lives. It's your choice. Let me encourage you to choose life.
No comments:
Post a Comment