For centuries the human race has battled with living in relationship with each other. So many things have changed over time, newer, bigger, better, faster, and technology, well lets not go there... But living in relationship and community is still the same, we still have to work on our inner self in order to master the skills and grace needed to live and love well.
Thankfully God knows this all to well and has provided us with many tools to help us here.
John 13;34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Romans 14:10-13, Paul also advised: why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother?... Therefore, let's stop passing judgement on each other! Instead, make this one judgement--not to put a stumbling-block or a snare in a brother's way."
Mathew 7; 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Daily Spurgeon said in one of his sermons back in 1859, over 150 years ago:
Oh, my brethren and sisters in Christ, it is not your business to fight your own battles, not even in defense of your own character. If you be maligned and slandered, let the slanderer alone. His malignity will but be increased by any attempt that you shall make to defend yourself. As a soldier of Christ you are to fight for your Master, not for yourself. You are not to carry on a private warfare for your own honor, but all your time and all your power is to be given to his defense and his war. You are not to have a word to speak for yourselves.
Full often, when we get into little tempers, and our blood is roused, we are apt to think that we are fighting the cause of truth, when we are really maintaining our own pride. We imagine that we are defending our Master, but we are defending our own little selves. Too often the anger rises against an adversary not because his words reflect dishonor upon the glorious Christ, but because they dishonor us. Oh! let us not be so little as to fight our own battles! Depend upon it, the noblest means of conquest for a Christian in the matter of calumny and falsehood, is to stand still and see the salvation of God. Sheathe thine own sword, put away all thine own weapons, when thou comest to fight thine own battle, and let God fight for thee, and thou shalt be more than conqueror.
Gods word remains the same through the ages, time alters many things but it has failed to alter how we as humans relate. The promise from God is however, that if we remain in him we will learn ways to be better humans who treat each other well and love as God has called us to love. We need to take up the challenge and daily spend time with God so he can teach us in his ways and not the worlds ways . Isiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD."As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Lets be the generation that transforms a nation..... We can do it I know we can we just have to be willing to change and move well out of our comfort zone, to let go of what we think is rightfully ours, to never again say " thats not fair" , to have the grace to put others before us, to walk away from a conflict rather than forcing your opinion on others, to have the heart of a servant not a princess. And finally love others like there is no tomorrow because he will come when we are not looking and humanities eternal path will be decided. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
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