2021-04-09
Good Morning Dear Ones,
This ongoing discussion of flesh vs. the Spirit wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t look at what to do if wronged by another person. There will always be times when someone will lose his temper or say/do something that is hurtful to us. The question is how would the Lord want us to respond? EPH 4: 26-27, 29 “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Do not give the devil a chance…Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words which build up but provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good for those who hear you.” Further illumination is given by GA 6: 1-2, “If someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves that you should not be tempted too. Help one another carry one another’s burdens in this way, and this way you will always obey the law of Christ.”
Thanks to the love the Lord has for us, we are not left to guess what pleases Him. In examining this question of how to respond to the wrongdoing of others, our society has levels of wrongdoing it will accept, as well as civil punishment it metes out. Sadly, uncontrolled anger can lead to the breaking of civil laws, even criminal ones, and to the consequences society deems appropriate for them. The discussion presented here is left to the realm of more minor squabbles between neighbors or friends. There have been times when another person misunderstands the actions of his friend, and anger rears its ugly head between them. If such a situation occurs, the Lord would want the wronged person not to react in kind. Instead, He prefers either no response or a kindly explanation after the heat of the moment has passed. Once the matter is ironed out, it shouldn’t be mentioned again. Repeated revisiting of trouble between two friends/neighbors can bring even harsher anger between them. Such lack of self-control can actually blossom into emotional abuse, and the Lord doesn’t want any of us to suffer through that.
It is clear from EPH 4: 27 that the holding of grudges is not godly, nor is destructive anger. However, there are some kinds of anger which are constructive. Last year, a black man, George Floyd, was encountered by Officer Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police. As with an all-too-long list of other black men killed when they didn’t deserve it, Chauvin wrestled Floyd to the ground and found Chauvin’s knee on his neck. Despite Floyd’s assertions that he couldn’t breathe, Chauvin held his knee in place for over eight minutes, and Floyd’s life was taken from him. Up to this point in time, the Black Lives Matter movement had been supported mostly by black people. But, reaction to this became different. The Lord believes that all lives matter, and even Caucasian people joined in the peaceful marches that followed. This was constructive anger, anger which leads to dialog and social changes. I’m old enough to have visited the SE USA when the Jim Crow laws preventing black people from the equality they richly deserved were still in place. Signs on toilets like “whites only” and refusal serve black people at lunch counters had a scary impact on me, as a little girl. I had been raised “color blind” and still am. Years later, I could have cried when I was living in GA and teaching sewing classes when an obviously black lady who was calling asked me, “Do you take black people in your classes?” The thought of barring anyone interested in learning this skill never occurred to me. And yet, I had to tell her, “I’m color blind.” She became one of my best students over the years that she was in my classes.
I carry a vision in my mind of Mahatma Gandhi, a well-educated lawyer, dressed in a loin cloth sitting on the ground spinning cotton into thread. Like Martin Luther King, Jr, this man is a symbol of non-violent dissent to me. His philosophy of non-violence made it possible for us to see the end of Apartheid in South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s presidency of that country happen. We all know that Mandela had spent the last 30+ years on Robin Island imprisoned due to prejudice. This is my idea of appropriate social change, arising out of Gandhi’s philosophy put in practice. The Lord had His part in this change through the gifts of the Holy Spirit put in the minds of mankind. His love for us is so great that He has even caused me to believe that some day the hidden, inherent prejudice in our society might be overcome.
PRAYER: O Lord, injustice and prejudiced thoughts and practices must come to an end. You have told us, in DN 9: 27, there will be an end to evil after the end of the Tribulation (in our future). In the face of insults and prejudice, “it is better to suffer for doing good, if it is God’s will, than to do evil” [1 PET 3: 15-16]. Dearest Father, You would want us to be prepared to explain the hope we have in Christ, if anyone asks us about it, with gentleness and respect. Our Lord Jesus took it upon Himself at Your command, to be willing to physically give up His earthly life for us. His obedience to You in doing this is sufficient motivation for us to place our hope in Him and to profess genuine belief in Him. As we obey His teaching, we honor You and the Holy Spirit, even if it means having patience and dignity in the face of wrongful behavior by others. We need never be ashamed, if we are insulted for our beliefs, because the love You have for us is eternal. We say these things, as we ask for Your continuing love, wisdom, and intervention. In the mighty and holy name of Jesus Christ; we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The flesh and the Spirit will always be opposites [GA 5: 16-17]. In a man-driven life, there is no self-control or will to achieve it. Idolatry, e.g. gluttony, lying, materialism, etc., are more important to the individual than anything else. The idol can be anything that is not in line with God’s will. Any kind of self-deception can be involved. Next week, I’m commanded to discuss this kind of idolatry as it contrasts with strong, consistent leading by the Holy Spirit. I remember one time after I had spent years teaching Bible classes out of the joy the Lord had put in my heart, I was speaking to another person about this. “How much did you charge per hour,” the other asked me. “Nothing!” was my surprised answer. This person proceeded to scold me for letting the church take advantage of me. Then the other explained in his/her reply, “I am making $17 per hour for doing that.” There is no way this other person could have understood what I was thinking. It ran through my mind that it’s a privilege to know the Scriptures and to convey them to other people for Christ. And that is because Christ sacrificed so very much for me. To be Spirit-led for me means making our Lord an honored Resident in my home and heart. Any joy and inner peace that I have is from Him, and the Scriptures are His “Love Letter” to me and every other believer. Thanks and praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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