"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them that spitefully use you and persecute you."
Dear Reader,
This is a study I feel convicted to share although it is in no way very meaty, but it is my prayer that it will be a blessing to you my beloved reader. The topic of this humble article is "responding with love"
Beloved, I will begin by saying that I have already been sent some requests to revisit the topic of "faith v presumption." Well it is my promise to you that there will be another study on that in the future as well as many other topics, I feel impressed to share this specific topic today.
Today as I was sitting in class I invited some of my classmates my baptism this Saturday, one of the young ladies got very defensive and began bashing the Adventist Church, following every insult with "No offense." which I chuckle at because of course I would not be offended, Paul said in Romans 8:28 that all things work for the good of those who love God, and John tells us that to love God is to "keep His commandments"1 John 5:3; and in 2 Cor 6:3 we are told by Paul to "Give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed." I was of course not offended, rather saddened by this girl. I spoke to her and discovered that her anger blazed against me because she knows nothing of Seventh Day Adventism, not the Bible, but that she is simply upset because her ex-husband is a mormon and she thinks that SDA is the same thing. I explained that it is not, but she would have none of it, to her everyone is a mormon, a christian, or an atheist like her... please pray for this girl who's soul is so clearly oppressed by Satan.
I did not relent but rather continued to speak to her, I avoided insulting her ex because I do not know him, and I resisted the urge to argue with her, it was not God's purpose for me to win an argument, but to win a soul. I spoke for a little and listened much, letting her tell me all about her personal issue, which she spoke of freely, I feel for her honestly. I understand why she feels the way she does, I only pray that she will look into the truth and be converted when she realizes that not only is SDA very different from mormon, but that it is the truth and that is why it is so radically different than any other denomination.
I am certainly not telling this story to imply that I have some sort of secret knowledge as to how to deal with people or to say, "look I reacted well under pressure." the fact of the matter is that for most of my life I have reacted very wrong to people, it was only when examining what the Bible says that I realized my great need for a change and decided to allow Jesus to fix this broken life, that I may become someone who doesn't argue about things. I still offer prayer and supplication daily, hoping and praying, and dying to self that my Savior might increase in His servant and live through me! So if you will read on you'll see a study of some things that lead me to see that it was not God's purpose that I should go about winning arguments, but that I should go about winning souls.
Now let us reason together with God's word being our guide, as should always be the case, and I pray that this study may be a blessing to you.
Let us begin with Matt 11:6 where Jesus says "Blessed is He who is not offended because of Me." Now think about this, this is a twofold blessing. Why is that? Well on the one hand we are blessed for accepting Jesus and what He has done for us by living a holy life, dying a holy death, and raising from the dead that we who believe in Him might also raise up on the last day. There is a second part to this blessing though, it is not just for the people on the outside, though I assure you people on the outside are blessed when they are not offended by Jesus but rather accept Him; it is also for us. When we get offended and argue there is no love in that, and "Let us love one another, for love is of God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 john 4:7 Beloved, it is not our call to win an argument, but to win souls, if you let your temper take control you inevitably surrender the high ground, therefore you yield the victory even if you do "win the argument" because any witness to that argument will see you as no different than the non-Christian. Not only that the angels will not stay with you when you allow temper to rule, you must pray to God and if we would only pray God would strengthen us against this temptation. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that God can bring every thought "into captivity" that means EVERY THOUGHT! Because God cannot lie Num 23:19.
Rather than argue let us cling to the promises of God! Take upon yourself the promise of James 5:7,8 "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." Verse eight was obviously written for our time beloved! How much God loves us that He would send in His word special messages in His word written more for the people in the end times when "His coming is at hand" than for the people actually speaking it. Yet the message applied to them too, why? Because God loves all His children! God's word is so clear on this issue I only with that I had listened to it sooner friends, if I could I'd take back every argument with my mother and every thought that I have thought that was not right towards my parents, and I would will to honor them instead. Not only this, but I would not have argued with my teachers, even when they sought to teach lies such as evolution; I would instead have spoken the words of love to them.
Beloved if you feel like, "I just can't, I have always had a temper and I know I will fail this test."
Than simply get down on your knees, the same Savior who freed the two demoniacs is still alive today to free us from our demons and vices.
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Heb 12:11
Paul under the inspiration of God writes that while right now the path God had convicted you of seems difficult it will "yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness." Don't you want to partake of that fruit beloved?!?!
When Jesus' earthly parents for a moment lost focus of Him as a child and they spent three days looking for Him in the city, only to find Him in the temple sharing truth with the rabbis Luke 2:43-47; they tried to reprove Jesus saying "Son, why have you done this to us? Look your father and I have sought You anxiously." Luke 2:48 Did Jesus start an argument? Did Jesus say, "well if you had paid closer attention it would not have been!" Certainly not beloved. Jesus answered with a loving rebuke in the form of a question, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" Luke 2:49
Now that beloved, is how I want to respond to EVERY situation; not with cruelty, nor with a quick answer from the tongue, but rather with a kind rebuke that gives my brother and my sister pause. Asking a question which they know as well as I do has but one answer. This is how Jesus operates. He does not yell and get upset, and He would not tolerate that from us, rather He desires that we would live like Him. That we would not be accusatory but rather kind. Take His character upon yourself and let Him live through you. You will soon see that Jesus can make you to answer correctly to situations. The Lord is good my friends and I will close with this.
"The positiveness and energy, the solidity and strength of character, manifested in Christ are to be developed in us, through the same discipline that He endured."
-Ellen G. White Desire of Ages p 63
That is all beloved, if you would like any questions answered or further study on this or other topics please e-mail me at hugheskevin117@gmail.com.
Thank you so much and may the Lord Jesus Christ be with you wherever you go.
Sincerely
Kevin Hughes
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