Psalm 119:165 (KJV)
“Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”
My last two posts have been long, so this one I will try to keep short. #3 on my list is “Keep your heart free from offense.” Or as Rusty used to say to us, “Don’t get offended; don’t get bitter.” In all my years of ministry and leadership (about 20 years) I have seen nothing take people out of the race more quickly than offense and bitterness.
In fact, the Hebrew word for “offend” means, “to present an occasion for stumbling.”
Believe me, I have had ample opportunities to get offended and bitter at people, including my leaders, over the last 20 years. We will all have opportunities to become offended with people as long as we are here on this earth.
So what is the antidote to offense? It’s love.
Specifically, it is loving God’s law (or Word) more than we love our rights, our feelings or our own way. You choose to love God’s law when you choose to honor it above all else. When you choose forgiveness over vengeance, when you choose generosity over selfishness, when you choose faith over fear, when you choose to return good for evil and kindness to the unthankful – then you are choosing to love God’s law. Then you are protecting yourself from offense.
When I find offense creeping into my heart – and it does try to take hold of me – I remember a scene from a movie called, “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.” The warrior in this movie (who is a woman) is fighting with a group of foes. At one point in the fight she jumps up and lightly skips across their heads. That’s how I want to be when it comes to offense.
I don’t need to even engage the fight.
I just need to lightly walk across those stumbling stones to the other side – to the perfect ways of God’s law.
7 Comments
I love when one draws a picture/scene for others to understand what they are saying. Your last sentences are so powerful, at least for me, because the visual of that movie scene where the woman fighter steps lightly over the enemies head - WOW! Great analogy, I am embracing that as a great way to get thru offenses b/c just like you said they do come, they do try to take hold but if we just walk lightly over that stumbling block….yeah, that is good. Thank you for that nugget. I’m lovin’ it!
God’s best to you. love,
Amy
Great words to live by, Pastor Kerri.
This is a big issue in my Christian Life.
PK,
I can’t tell you how right on your last three blogs were in my life. Over and over again, I ask God to help my spirit fight the illusions that my flesh can bring me when someone hurts or does me wrong. When someone literally, point blank wrongs me, the first instinct is to prove them wrong, or wanting to get them to admit their fault in the situation. How did Jesus just turn the other cheek? Especially when he was NEVER wrong? I can see if someone cut him off in traffic…or when He KNEW they really didn’t mean it ;).
And then you mentioned the damage grows when we allow ourselves to stumble…it got me thinking…. That’s literally what we do…the way we see things, the way we read the word-it slowly turns into ourselves, and how we can justify that we were right in all of it and less about Jesus and all he can do through the situation. Stumbling, growing farther from God’s promises he has over our lives. He doesn’t want us to stumble, he looks down on us we love, no matter what. He provides us with the opportunity to take love and peace and give it to others. Peace is like taking the ocean He wants to give us instead of settling for anger or resentment (a mud puddle) that we want to so easily take and hold on to!
Amy — That was a really inspiring image to me, too. I think of it often.
Lisa — Glad you found the post useful.
Liz — I will pray for you. I think this is a problem for lots of people because it such apart of our human nature. Joyce Meyer has some great teaching on this subject.
Rachel — You are so right about offense becoming a filter for everything once it takes hold…event the way we read the scriptures. That’s why it’s so important to guard our hearts and not let bitterness take root.
Love you gals!
xxoo
Kerri,
What you are speaking on is so good and it is a very crucial area that we all need to stay grounded in and it is soooooo hard @ times..I often have an “easy” time telling others how to forgive and why they should however when things repeatedly happen in my own walk, I find myself not wanting to take my own advice..I guess because I need to TALK to myself more..:) It really is a word for everyone not just for other people! Thanks again!
Each Saturday I wake up real early and do hard core cleaning. Usually I would call my Mom from up North and talk with her, but she has recently had brain surgery and I have missed her for now three Saturdays. Instead, I have been listening/watching videos from the celebration website. I just got done watching the two videos of Hearing God’s voice (Part 1 and Part 2). So much I needed to hear - and when you tie it in with the reality of applying faith and forgiveness……and taking Christ everywhere we go……my heart is humbled. I have been waiting for God to speak to me. Tell me what to do, what to do different and/or help our financial distress - and sad that he has given me no answer(s). But, he has. Now I have to believe, commune with him daily (in prayer and reading the bible)- and obey. A big task. I am thankful for this church that makes God so real in our every moment.
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