Focus: Psalms 119:165 - KJV
165. Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
1 John 2:7-11
The law of the Lord is love: the love of God and the love of the neighbor. As love covers a multitude of sin, those who do love do not get offended. Many are “offended” of God when it appears things are happening to them that is contrary to their expectation from God. Such can only happen when they are lacking in love for God. For instance, as much as God loved Israel and brought them out of captivity in Egypt, Israel, while on the way to the promised land was so grumpy and full of murmurings and grumbling against God, for things like food and water. At a point their grumbling made God to leave them to that which they prophesied which was to die in the wilderness. God did so to prevent their polluting their offspring and the new land with their slavery mentality. When we do love our neighbor, no matter what the same does, we are not offended. Two things come to mind here: the first being that believers are meant to be dead (to the flesh) in Christ Jesus and therefore ought not to feel pain; and even Christ prepared us ahead that surely offences shall come but woe unto him through whom offences do come. Nonetheless, even though the offending person comes with offences, the one who operates in love ought never to be offended because offences lead to bitterness and unforgiveness which are features of the world, and clearly inimical to benefits of the Kingdom.
When Christ walked the face of the earth, He showed us how never to be offended when people put up their natural acts. Imagine His creatures calling Him a devil and one that cast out demons with the devil. Yet He was not offended but just responded calmly to show their folly. They did scourge Him sore, spat on Him and did all manner of degrading things to Him. He never uttered an angry word but prayed for His traducers that the Lord may forgive them for they knew not what they did. And while on the cross, a felon who was there for his misdeeds not minding that he was about to die was out to offend Him by calling Him out. Christ did not even bother responding to him. The truth is, Christ knows that even though it is the voice or act of the neighbor we see, there is always a being behind the scene, urging him on to taunt us so that we may fall short of the position God has placed us. The expectation of God from us, is that we be not offended of our neighbor whom we are called to love. Once we get offended, love is taken off our heart for the person and thereby we offend the law of God. That is simply making the offended the servant of the devil as offence has made him obedient to the devil.
Father, we ask for strength to stay in love in the face of provocation, so as never to yield to the devil: please grant us such strength like Christ displayed in the face of provocation and offence in Jesus’ name. No matter the machinations of the devil to make us burst into anger or get offended in any way, please let your Spirit keep us meek, gentle and patient in Jesus’ name. Never allow us to be drawn to the side of the wicked in any manner in the name of Jesus. Everything we had done in the past that portrayed us as being offended, daddy please forgive and restore us fully to yourself, in Jesus’ name. In all, please make us all overcomers to the very end in Jesus’ name.
SOLUTION: Never react to offending words, thoughts or actions. They are a trap from the pit of hell. No matter how terrible it appears, just allow it to pass. Often times, when you do that successfully, the offender appears a fool to onlookers. Never get offended, forgive offenders before they come with offence and ignore whatever flows from them.
If you are blessed by this post, kindly share with your contacts, as well as others, that they may be blessed also. Thank you and may God bless you abundantly as you do so, in Jesus’ name.
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