I Peter 2:1
LAY ASIDE THEREFORE ALL MALICE, AND ALL DECEIT, AND PRETENSE,
AND ENVY AND ALL SLANDER.
I Peter 2:1
Malice- a desire to harm others or to see others suffer; spite.
Spite- malicious ill will prompting an urge to hurt
Deceive- to cause to believe what is not true.
Pretense- 1. to feign
2. a false appearane or action intended to deceive
3. an outward appearance
4. a claim, especially without foundation
Envy- discontent and resentment aroused by desire for possessions or qualities of another.
Slander- a false and malicious, usually oral statement injurious to a person's reputation.
My mouth is dry. Just reading the definitions cuts deep in my heart. I must emphasise the fact that all last year I was under God's discipline. He pointed these things in my heart and it was hard, but extremely healthy. I have taken them to the cross and I am now living in a "my sin awareness" mode..seeking God for a new heart. A new creation. A new creation.
But this season, as I am searching for my next step in life, I have been meditating a lot on what I want to do and where...that kind of stuff. I reach the same conclusion over and over again. There is so much to do. Anything I choose to do while remaining God's close friend will be just fine.
The time to chose is drawing near, and I discover I still have tons of questions in need for answers. One that I had never clearly stated or evaluated is: HOW DO I DEAL WITH THE SIN OF OTHERS? sin which affects me? How am I to react when I am the object of persecution due to my "doing things right"? How am I to react when it is another leader of church that is full of envy? I do not know the answer. Sorry, maybe you were expecting the answer because you yourself have been wondering how to deal with the sin that flows from anothers heart...mother...brother...neighboor...coworker...pastor...all humans with a sinful nature.
How are we to react?
please! do not kill me with the famous "turn the other cheek"- there is room for it, but the practical stuff, the everyday stuff...it is not so simple, and specially when others may get hurt.
Example:
In one of the churches that I have been a member of, we had family groups or cell groups whatever you call them. The idea is that when another cell was to be opened a leader was chosen and with that leader one or two members of the cell where to go with the leader to the new cell. Well time came when I had to open my cell, and I asked for a girl as my teammate. I call her orchid. I always told her she was seen by God as an orchid, extremely rare and special, hard to find, valuable. I wanted her to go with me. I was told that I was to open my cell group on my own, and defenitely she couldn't go, because she was going to be appointed to another group.
OUCH. SWALLOW HARD. I look at God.
God had a stern look on His face, but He was not looking at me, He was looking straight ahead.
I did not understand then but now I understand, He was saying:
"I have seen and I am deeply displeased. You will see the result in the future. Farther down the road."
What had God seen? The envy in this leader's heart.
We got an orchid in December, I was the one responsible for it's care. It's flowers fell and later on small buds came up. We were all so excited...It was going to bloom!!! We were going to be able to see the miracle of life right before us! wow. But then everybody started to water it. Nobody told me. Nobody told anybody. We all just watered it...and drowned the plant. We never got to see it bloom. What happened? We all wanted the credit for its success...
What happened to THE orchid, the girl from the cell group? almost the same. She left church and has had a huge struggle getting back to God.
I opened my cell group, I invited all the people whom I had been discipleing from my neighboorhood and other friends. So, it started just fine...and then I was told that I could only have women of a certain age group in my cell group...and things collapessed....I collapsed.
How do we handle sin in others? How? How?
We wonder why there is no revival...doesn't God hear our prayers?
Yes, He does.
God hears our prayers, BUT
He also sees our lives. AND
He is deeply displeased.
Instead of rain, judgement comes: the cell group that I left soon after fell apart, and the leader was also
considering leaving the church. All of these WITHOUT my opening my mouth.
I only looked at God in pain.
He saw....
but is there any other way?
AND ENVY AND ALL SLANDER.
I Peter 2:1
Malice- a desire to harm others or to see others suffer; spite.
Spite- malicious ill will prompting an urge to hurt
Deceive- to cause to believe what is not true.
Pretense- 1. to feign
2. a false appearane or action intended to deceive
3. an outward appearance
4. a claim, especially without foundation
Envy- discontent and resentment aroused by desire for possessions or qualities of another.
Slander- a false and malicious, usually oral statement injurious to a person's reputation.
My mouth is dry. Just reading the definitions cuts deep in my heart. I must emphasise the fact that all last year I was under God's discipline. He pointed these things in my heart and it was hard, but extremely healthy. I have taken them to the cross and I am now living in a "my sin awareness" mode..seeking God for a new heart. A new creation. A new creation.
But this season, as I am searching for my next step in life, I have been meditating a lot on what I want to do and where...that kind of stuff. I reach the same conclusion over and over again. There is so much to do. Anything I choose to do while remaining God's close friend will be just fine.
The time to chose is drawing near, and I discover I still have tons of questions in need for answers. One that I had never clearly stated or evaluated is: HOW DO I DEAL WITH THE SIN OF OTHERS? sin which affects me? How am I to react when I am the object of persecution due to my "doing things right"? How am I to react when it is another leader of church that is full of envy? I do not know the answer. Sorry, maybe you were expecting the answer because you yourself have been wondering how to deal with the sin that flows from anothers heart...mother...brother...neighboor...coworker...pastor...all humans with a sinful nature.
How are we to react?
please! do not kill me with the famous "turn the other cheek"- there is room for it, but the practical stuff, the everyday stuff...it is not so simple, and specially when others may get hurt.
Example:
In one of the churches that I have been a member of, we had family groups or cell groups whatever you call them. The idea is that when another cell was to be opened a leader was chosen and with that leader one or two members of the cell where to go with the leader to the new cell. Well time came when I had to open my cell, and I asked for a girl as my teammate. I call her orchid. I always told her she was seen by God as an orchid, extremely rare and special, hard to find, valuable. I wanted her to go with me. I was told that I was to open my cell group on my own, and defenitely she couldn't go, because she was going to be appointed to another group.
OUCH. SWALLOW HARD. I look at God.
God had a stern look on His face, but He was not looking at me, He was looking straight ahead.
I did not understand then but now I understand, He was saying:
"I have seen and I am deeply displeased. You will see the result in the future. Farther down the road."
What had God seen? The envy in this leader's heart.
We got an orchid in December, I was the one responsible for it's care. It's flowers fell and later on small buds came up. We were all so excited...It was going to bloom!!! We were going to be able to see the miracle of life right before us! wow. But then everybody started to water it. Nobody told me. Nobody told anybody. We all just watered it...and drowned the plant. We never got to see it bloom. What happened? We all wanted the credit for its success...
What happened to THE orchid, the girl from the cell group? almost the same. She left church and has had a huge struggle getting back to God.
I opened my cell group, I invited all the people whom I had been discipleing from my neighboorhood and other friends. So, it started just fine...and then I was told that I could only have women of a certain age group in my cell group...and things collapessed....I collapsed.
How do we handle sin in others? How? How?
We wonder why there is no revival...doesn't God hear our prayers?
Yes, He does.
God hears our prayers, BUT
He also sees our lives. AND
He is deeply displeased.
Instead of rain, judgement comes: the cell group that I left soon after fell apart, and the leader was also
considering leaving the church. All of these WITHOUT my opening my mouth.
I only looked at God in pain.
He saw....
but is there any other way?
posted by thisfool @ 9:58 AM
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