Tearing others down has been on my heart lately, as I’ve seen my loved ones getting hurt. If it hurts my heart when they’re hurting, how much more does it hurt our Lord? “Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21) He is the only one who can truly know the magnitude of our pain and what is in our hearts! Did you know that God takes the hurt of His children so seriously that He considers it a personal hurt to Himself as well? (Matthew 25:40) “ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” He makes a very descriptive statement in Matthew 18:6 saying “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Even an offense is a pretty hefty thing to answer to God for! How many times have I said something to a brother or sister in Christ, or even a family member or loved one without thinking it through? I regret to say…many. What does (and should) hurt me worse to know I’ve caused others pain, is to know I’ve hurt the Lord just as many times as I’ve hurt His children, the Bible says so in the very same verses I’ve studied.
The nastiest thought of all is that at times, I’ve let my emotions take over and have allowed them to take me to a place where I’ve even intentionally said something to hurt someone else out of anger, revenge or bitterness. When feelings and emotions like that start to take over the way I treat others, it doesn’t make me feel very good. Why? Because my body is spiritually coming down with an illness. My spiritual “medicine” is called “The Fruits of the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
If I would stop myself in the moment of ugly feelings, pray for guidance and self-control in the situation, my life, and the way I react towards someone else, I wouldn’t be acting the way I have been guilty of many times. I’ve been thinking of many common ways and reactions people use when they aren’t asking God to take control of their emotions and reactions. I’ve found verses in the Bible speaking against it and giving us the alternative that we should be using when we react.
VERBAL (Proverbs 12:18 - There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.) What I say towards someone could be so sharp, it’s piercing to their heart and emotions. God’s Word says in (Proverbs 16:24 - Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.) I would much rather say something loving, beneficial and kind to build someone up.
SLANDER (James 4:11 - Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.) There are so many ways we can slander others. Talking behind their back, via social media to try to point out what we don’t like about them, or making innuendos about them to make other people start thinking evil of them. It’s cruel, its evil and it’s conniving.
SHOWING OFF (Matthew 6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.) My motives shouldn’t be to be publicly seen or announced, to draw attention to myself and make others feel lesser than me. God didn’t make anyone better than the other, He doesn’t love me more than He loves someone else. I shouldn’t pretend to be perfect and hide my faults…it will just make someone else feel bad and in-equivalent, even though it isn’t so. God won’t honor my motives when they aren’t genuine. My motives need to be prayerfully sought out each day…”Why am I wanting to do a certain action? Who do I want attention from? Why am I blogging? What am I saying?” Am I putting on a facade so others think that I am perfect?
BOASTING (Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.) Boasting makes others feel bad, even if we don’t mean to be boasting on the things we are doing or have done. Humility is everything when you’re sharing your interests in the things you enjoy and do. I want to try my best to remember to say “I couldn’t have done it without The Lord,” when I am excited about something God has helped me to accomplish. (John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.) I can’t do anything without God, so what does that make me? Nothing without Him. It’s easy as humans to get excited about what “we” have done.”…in reality “we” weren’t the ones who made the accomplishment, God did - so give Him the glory for continuous blessings.
I am forgetful when it comes to remembering not to allow my feelings and emotions to take over my reactions towards others. With God’s help I want to start a little “project” called my “Spiritual First-aid Kit,” because poor reactions and feelings are only the outward expression of something that isn’t being corrected on the inside.
- I am going to purchase a little file folder (a small recipe box would do the trick as well) just large enough to fit 3X5 index cards.
- Inside I am going to have sections divided for my feelings towards others, reactions and situations - for ex. Anger, revenge, arrogance, the words I say. I also want a side for my personal feelings - for ex. Hurt, feeling like I am not good enough, sadness.
- On the front - I want to write verses against the bad reactions or feelings.
- On the back - I want to write verses on the way I should be acting and feeling.This will give me the “remedy” for the wounds I would potentially cause to others if I act in the way God tells me not to, and it will also be just what I need when I have wounds of my own that need some “healing” from The Lord. Sometimes in the heat of the moment it’s hard to think of a specific verse before I react, so this will give me a moment to break, step away from the situation, and look up just what I need in the moment. This won’t be an overnight project, but with God giving me the persistence to keep up with it as my feelings come along, He will help me complete it!
My prayer is to become more like Christ in my actions, words, motives and the way I act when He helps me to do something! I do not want to hurt others, and I certainly do not want to hurt God. Studying this lesson gave me a much different perspective on how serious hurting others really is, and how much worse it is to intentionally do so, even if I feel that my reasoning is valid. I have no excuses for that type of behavior. I hope this blesses each one of you as it has greatly blessed me!
God Bless!
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