Ephesians 4:1-6
As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg
you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be
his own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other
and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts
united. Do this by living at peace. All of you are part of the same
body.
There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given
one hope when you were chosen to be God’s people. We have only one Lord,
one faith, and one baptism. There is one God who is the Father of all
people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of
us, and he lives in all of us.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A
photo just appeared in my Facebook newsfeed of a skunk eating the food
in a dog’s bowl…and the dog standing nearby and looking on forlornly.
The caption was: “Two of the greatest qualities in life...1) patience;
and 2) wisdom. Oh, that we could learn from this puppy!
I was
reminded of my friends who returned from a trip to the beach to find a
terrible smell near one of their gutter drains. They thought it was a
dead skunk, so the husband decided to flush it out with a water hose.
Instead of a dead skunk, he discovered three very alive little skunks!
And so did their little Yorkie, who got more than she bargained for in
the process! The dog was hurriedly secured inside the house (where she
promptly rubbed skunk smell on anything and everything!).
The
skunk situation was handled by the husband, while the wife shampooed the
dog and set up an appointment for a trip to the vet and a “doggie
haircut” the next day. She laughed about it all and demonstrated
tremendous humility, patience and gentleness…with both the dog AND the
husband! After the trip to the vet, air freshener galore, and lots of
hours spent burning scented candles, the “stinky situation” was pretty
much eliminated - and all is once again well.
There are going to be “skunks” in our life that at have the potential to
ruin our day…or at the very least, to stink up the place! But we must
remember that we are all God’s creatures. And each has a place. Does
this mean that we must allow “skunks” to live in our rain gutters (or
our circle of friends) …or eat from our food bowls – and our dinner
tables? No! God gave us common sense and wisdom so that we could
discern how to manage what – and who we associate with - and the sort of
relationships we have with different people. But we must not totally
avoid such people.
We must learn to tolerate the “skunks” among
us at times…if for no other reason than that we might be their only
connection with Jesus. In us, they hopefully have the opportunity to
see Christ’s teachings in action…faithfulness, forgiveness, grace,
mercy, patience, compassion, kindness, tolerance and acceptance,
obedience, and more. We might be the only example for them of how to
operate in humility and gentleness. If we disassociate completely with
these people, we may be forfeiting a chance to witness and minister to
them.
So we must learn from the puppy in the photo and exercise
patience and wisdom. We must ask God to give us humility and
gentleness…and a heart for ALL of His creatures…even the “skunks.” I
know it’s asking a lot for some of us…but if God lives in us, He will
surely help us to do this. Won’t you ask Him to fill you with a spirit
of unity and acceptance today? Are you ready to operate with a heart
like His? Don’t you think you should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label treating others gently. Show all posts
Showing posts with label treating others gently. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for September 8, 2014
Romans 14:1
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The first thing that came to mind for me when I read this passage was an image of someone with road rage, gesturing wildly at fellow drivers...while sporting a Christian fish magnet on their tailgate and a bumper sticker that advertised their church or said “Smile...God loves you!” Makes you a little crazy...doesn’t it?! I’m continually amazed at the “Christians” who get so heated up over one political camp or another...particularly those who stoop to name calling and other “unlovely” acts. I’ll admit, I find it hard to welcome them with open arms when they spew venom on Facebook in a post...and then two posts later talk about the upcoming services at their church or how much God has blessed them – or worse, yet, talk about how God blesses a particular group or those who think/feel a certain way.
We don’t get to pick and choose, people! This is not OUR universe! Moreover, our snap judgments about others have unending ramifications. Your criticism of a certain group of people may include the son or daughter of your best friend - or that person who sits next to you on the pew every Sunday morning. When you cluck your tongue about people on welfare, parents who don’t control their kids’ behavior, or the son or daughter who neglects his/her elderly loved ones, you are essentially “writing checks you can’t cash”!
When you declare that others are not serving in the church as much as they should or sharing their Christian faith with others enough – or in the right manner – you are operating in self-righteousness. Most likely, you don’t have all the facts. You don’t know what the other guy has endured or what his/her life entails. You might not know “the rest of the story”. There is a very good chance that the other person is playing his/her cards pretty close to the vest and not confiding in the whole world...and neither are YOU, quite frankly! Few of us “air our dirty laundry” to the world, so to speak.
Does this mean we are not entitled to an opinion? No...it just means that we are not to be so quick to share our estimations. We’re to study the model given to us by Jesus. He didn’t greet others with admonitions of wrongdoing. Jesus didn’t meet the woman at the well with a chastisement for her sins...He didn’t say “Zacchaeus, you’re a cheater” when He saw him up in a tree. Jesus treated others gently. He made them feel comfortable and accepted. When the time was right, he lovingly pointed out the things that He had observed. And sometimes, Jesus didn’t have to say a thing. His demeanor and the way He demonstrated grace and mercy was enough.
Let’s be honest...the “other guy” is not always wrong...and we’re not always right! Only God can determine this with certainty. We can have differing opinions...support different causes and policies...champion different attitudes and groups of people...and still be born-again Christians who love Jesus just as much as the next person! Let’s get real...we ALL have work to do in the “faith” department! And I, for one, am so glad that Jesus does not dole out His grace and mercy to me based on my level of faith in Him on any given day! I still have a long way to go toward full surrender...don’t you?
If we are counting on Jesus to love us and offer us forgiveness, grace and mercy...in spite of our shortcomings and faltering faith...how can we do any less for the other guy? If we believe that Jesus loves each of us – warts and all – how can we offer him/her anything other than acceptance, compassion, and the benefit of the doubt? Is there someone you need to treat more gently in Jesus’ name? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The first thing that came to mind for me when I read this passage was an image of someone with road rage, gesturing wildly at fellow drivers...while sporting a Christian fish magnet on their tailgate and a bumper sticker that advertised their church or said “Smile...God loves you!” Makes you a little crazy...doesn’t it?! I’m continually amazed at the “Christians” who get so heated up over one political camp or another...particularly those who stoop to name calling and other “unlovely” acts. I’ll admit, I find it hard to welcome them with open arms when they spew venom on Facebook in a post...and then two posts later talk about the upcoming services at their church or how much God has blessed them – or worse, yet, talk about how God blesses a particular group or those who think/feel a certain way.
We don’t get to pick and choose, people! This is not OUR universe! Moreover, our snap judgments about others have unending ramifications. Your criticism of a certain group of people may include the son or daughter of your best friend - or that person who sits next to you on the pew every Sunday morning. When you cluck your tongue about people on welfare, parents who don’t control their kids’ behavior, or the son or daughter who neglects his/her elderly loved ones, you are essentially “writing checks you can’t cash”!
When you declare that others are not serving in the church as much as they should or sharing their Christian faith with others enough – or in the right manner – you are operating in self-righteousness. Most likely, you don’t have all the facts. You don’t know what the other guy has endured or what his/her life entails. You might not know “the rest of the story”. There is a very good chance that the other person is playing his/her cards pretty close to the vest and not confiding in the whole world...and neither are YOU, quite frankly! Few of us “air our dirty laundry” to the world, so to speak.
Does this mean we are not entitled to an opinion? No...it just means that we are not to be so quick to share our estimations. We’re to study the model given to us by Jesus. He didn’t greet others with admonitions of wrongdoing. Jesus didn’t meet the woman at the well with a chastisement for her sins...He didn’t say “Zacchaeus, you’re a cheater” when He saw him up in a tree. Jesus treated others gently. He made them feel comfortable and accepted. When the time was right, he lovingly pointed out the things that He had observed. And sometimes, Jesus didn’t have to say a thing. His demeanor and the way He demonstrated grace and mercy was enough.
Let’s be honest...the “other guy” is not always wrong...and we’re not always right! Only God can determine this with certainty. We can have differing opinions...support different causes and policies...champion different attitudes and groups of people...and still be born-again Christians who love Jesus just as much as the next person! Let’s get real...we ALL have work to do in the “faith” department! And I, for one, am so glad that Jesus does not dole out His grace and mercy to me based on my level of faith in Him on any given day! I still have a long way to go toward full surrender...don’t you?
If we are counting on Jesus to love us and offer us forgiveness, grace and mercy...in spite of our shortcomings and faltering faith...how can we do any less for the other guy? If we believe that Jesus loves each of us – warts and all – how can we offer him/her anything other than acceptance, compassion, and the benefit of the doubt? Is there someone you need to treat more gently in Jesus’ name? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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