Monday's Blessing
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forging each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Christ's dying breath on the cross spoke of kindness. "Father forgive them they know not what they do" (Luke 23-24). It was the last words he left us to contemplate and take with us as we move on through our journey of life. These words, in fact, speak to the core of his lessons. It is the essence of life, and the exact words he brought to us from the wishes of his Father.
Christ's kindness enveloped in everything. He spoke of the importance of loving one and other. You wonder with such a powerful message as that, why we often feel justified when we are unkind to others. After all, we think "they should have completed that correctly" or "how many times do I need to repeat myself to you?" "I can't believe you just did that!" All words to place the onus on the individual rather than to our own unruly reaction.
How you treat other people has a great impact on the degree of blessing and favor of God you will experience in your life regardless of how you justify it. Are you good to people? Are you kind and considerate? Do you speak and act with love in your heart and regard other people as valuable and special? The bottom line is you can't treat people poorly and expect to be blessed. You can't be rude and inconsiderate and expect to live surrounded by God's love and blessings.
The Bible says, "See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody" (Thessalonians 5:15). Look at the words aim and seek in the verse. God is saying that we must be proactive not reactive. We need to be on the lookout to share his mercy and kindness. Most importantly, we need to be kind and loving to people even if we feel they don't deserve it. We need to show love and kindness even if it is not shown to us. We can't just rewrite that message so it fits into our lifestyle when its appropriate. It is clear and concise.
This applies to when an employee at work blows you off. Or when a worker at a grocery store checkout counter is rude. Your initial response my be to act rudely in return. That's what our genetic programming seems to be telling us as we fly off the handle. But God wants us to live by higher standards. The Bible says, "We are to love our enemies. We are to do good to them that spitefully use us" (Luke 6:27-31).
If someone flies off the handle at you, instead of trying to top them to show them you don't tolerate this crap, why not show them some of God's grace and mercy? Aim for a bit of kindness and give them a word of encouragement. After all, you don't know what they may be going through. That person's child may be in the hospital. His or her mate may have just walked out. Maybe they are living in hell right now on earth. Your last words to that person could be the final straw that causes them to give up and sink into deeper despair. Neither scenario is pleasing to God.
When someone doesn't treat you right you have a golden opportunity to be an angel and heal their heart. You know that hurting people often hurt others around them. I know its tough to back down in certain situation, but these type of scenarios find great favor with God. Showing others mercy and forgiving them is the right thing to do.
This Week's Meditation:
The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.
Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind. If you are especially upset state:
Let peace extend from my mind to yours.
I share the light of the world with you.
Through my forgiveness I can see this now.
Remind yourself of healing each moment. God has you in his arms always.
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forging each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Christ's dying breath on the cross spoke of kindness. "Father forgive them they know not what they do" (Luke 23-24). It was the last words he left us to contemplate and take with us as we move on through our journey of life. These words, in fact, speak to the core of his lessons. It is the essence of life, and the exact words he brought to us from the wishes of his Father.
Christ's kindness enveloped in everything. He spoke of the importance of loving one and other. You wonder with such a powerful message as that, why we often feel justified when we are unkind to others. After all, we think "they should have completed that correctly" or "how many times do I need to repeat myself to you?" "I can't believe you just did that!" All words to place the onus on the individual rather than to our own unruly reaction.
How you treat other people has a great impact on the degree of blessing and favor of God you will experience in your life regardless of how you justify it. Are you good to people? Are you kind and considerate? Do you speak and act with love in your heart and regard other people as valuable and special? The bottom line is you can't treat people poorly and expect to be blessed. You can't be rude and inconsiderate and expect to live surrounded by God's love and blessings.
The Bible says, "See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody" (Thessalonians 5:15). Look at the words aim and seek in the verse. God is saying that we must be proactive not reactive. We need to be on the lookout to share his mercy and kindness. Most importantly, we need to be kind and loving to people even if we feel they don't deserve it. We need to show love and kindness even if it is not shown to us. We can't just rewrite that message so it fits into our lifestyle when its appropriate. It is clear and concise.
This applies to when an employee at work blows you off. Or when a worker at a grocery store checkout counter is rude. Your initial response my be to act rudely in return. That's what our genetic programming seems to be telling us as we fly off the handle. But God wants us to live by higher standards. The Bible says, "We are to love our enemies. We are to do good to them that spitefully use us" (Luke 6:27-31).
If someone flies off the handle at you, instead of trying to top them to show them you don't tolerate this crap, why not show them some of God's grace and mercy? Aim for a bit of kindness and give them a word of encouragement. After all, you don't know what they may be going through. That person's child may be in the hospital. His or her mate may have just walked out. Maybe they are living in hell right now on earth. Your last words to that person could be the final straw that causes them to give up and sink into deeper despair. Neither scenario is pleasing to God.
When someone doesn't treat you right you have a golden opportunity to be an angel and heal their heart. You know that hurting people often hurt others around them. I know its tough to back down in certain situation, but these type of scenarios find great favor with God. Showing others mercy and forgiving them is the right thing to do.
This Week's Meditation:
The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.
Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind. If you are especially upset state:
Let peace extend from my mind to yours.
I share the light of the world with you.
Through my forgiveness I can see this now.
Remind yourself of healing each moment. God has you in his arms always.
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