I have prided myself over the years as standing my ground and never backing down from a fight. Oh, I have been a manly man; I had hardened the shell around me so that no one could penetrate. I grew cold and indifferent; and concluded that this was no way to live. My relationship with God was also growing cold. Being cold, tough and callous made me feel safe. The trouble is that a heart so guarded allows no room for the caring of others. Such a heart becomes only consumed with it's own pleasure. This however, was no for a Christian to be, Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."(1)
Deny ones own pride, that is a tough one and giving up on the world of ‘if it feels good do it’ bites. The question is what fulfills life best? Jesus said if we lose our lives for His sake we would find them, but what did He mean by that? As I harden that shell around me to save my life I was actually losing it. Only by reaching out with a forgiving hand and giving of myself could I genuinely gain my life back.
I still have a rather thick skin which makes it a bit easier to shrug off the arrows of the world, but the natural instinct is to fight back, to utterly destroy any and all that would attack. Then the words of Jesus come, "Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God."(2) And "If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone."(3) By the grace of God this is possible, but some times those who engage in personal attacks bate a reprisal. However, the epistle to the Romans says this, "Never take your own revenge"(4)… "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."(5) So, I try to ignore the insults and reach out to the person when ever possible. "So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another."(6)
(1) Matthew 16:24 & 25
(2) Matthew 5:9
(3) Romans 12:18
(4) Romans 19a
(5) Romans 21
(6) Romans 14:19
Deny ones own pride, that is a tough one and giving up on the world of ‘if it feels good do it’ bites. The question is what fulfills life best? Jesus said if we lose our lives for His sake we would find them, but what did He mean by that? As I harden that shell around me to save my life I was actually losing it. Only by reaching out with a forgiving hand and giving of myself could I genuinely gain my life back.
I still have a rather thick skin which makes it a bit easier to shrug off the arrows of the world, but the natural instinct is to fight back, to utterly destroy any and all that would attack. Then the words of Jesus come, "Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God."(2) And "If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone."(3) By the grace of God this is possible, but some times those who engage in personal attacks bate a reprisal. However, the epistle to the Romans says this, "Never take your own revenge"(4)… "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."(5) So, I try to ignore the insults and reach out to the person when ever possible. "So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another."(6)
(1) Matthew 16:24 & 25 (2) Matthew 5:9 (3) Romans 12:18 (4) Romans 19a (5) Romans 21 (6) Romans 14:19