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Wednesday, July
22, 2009
Not Easily Provoked
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Charity suffereth
long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not
puffed up, (5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil; (6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but
rejoiceth in the truth; (7) Beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. (KJV)
We have been looking at the love of God,
what it is and what it is not. The love of God is not based on our outward
sight or our feelings, but rather beyond the realm of the flesh so that our
lower natures no longer dictate our responses. You as a Christian will hear
things, many things, from many people who claim to have the answer, most of
which is not based on the Word of God. It seems like those that know the
least, have the most to say. It’s no longer a matter of trying to one up
people all the time, or set them straight, but many times the Lord will
have you hold your peace and not cast His precious pearls before swine.
Philippians 3:18-20 (For many walk, of
whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are
the enemies of the cross of Christ: (19) Whose end is destruction, whose
God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.) (20) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (KJV)
Oh I have these urges or feelings, God
made me that way so you will just have to learn to be more tolerant and put
up with it. Well actually, a life in the Spirit is totally opposite of that
in the flesh; so for those that choose to stay in the flesh, well, they
just can’t please God. While you are out and about walking the path of
life, you will encounter many new age doctrines that change with the times.
However, the Lord is unchangeable and does not change with the times,
otherwise, He would be a liar. Remember again, the many that were called of
God and why only a few are chosen? Well, the many would rather serve their
carnal appetites instead of feeding the Spiritual one.
James 1:19-20 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: (20)
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. (KJV)
Sometimes even with Christians, they
become too easily provoked by what they see going on all around them, and
the message they preach becomes more of hate than love. Oh yes we are not
to condone sin, but on the other hand there is a fine line, a just balance,
where we are not the ones to carry out judgment but rather be
longsuffering. If your motive is based on wrath, which is how some preach
and teach Christ, then you are no longer speaking on behalf of the Lord but
rather your own behalf. Just like with shooting a firearm, you need to take
aim first and make sure of your target before firing a round.
Proverbs 14:29 He that is slow to wrath
is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. (KJV)
Oh I hate this job I am working at, why
can’t they do anything right, I think I will quit and show them. Well that
is fine, until you go to your next job and find out it has its own problems
and shortcomings, just in a different way. So what next, keep quitting
things until you find the perfect setting? Well, the Lord will take you to
the place you are best suited, but if you are looking for something perfect
you will have to wait until after this life to find it. So how are you
dealing with things; are you easily provoked and allowing it to take you
down to its level, or do you rise above it and stay in the place the Lord
would have you to be?
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts
of the wicked. (KJV)
The closer you get to the Lord the more
you become a threat to the enemy, and the more he will try to take shots at
you. The question is not if the enemy will fire a dart your way, the
question now becomes how will you respond? Will you keep the shield of
faith up and operational, or will you allow those darts to start a fire,
and become easily provoked?
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