Are there people in your life that push your buttons? You would truly like to give them a piece of your mind but you know the gift of self control(Galatians 5:23) does not really say that is the right thing to do. These people could be family, friends or strangers. It could be a harsh word or criticism or something like being cut off or tailgated by a rude driver. These little irritations can drive us nuts and unless we focus totally on the Lord and stay in an attitude of prayer we can make matters worse. Fighting back does nothing but add fuel to the fire.
Ephesians 4:31-32 says " Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." This means giving up your right to get back at someone or get the last word or react in a negative way. It does no good and in fact can make matters worse.
Last night I was blessed to get to see a new movie that is coming out next week. It is called "The Grace Card". (www.thegracecard.com). I do not want to give away the content of the movie and spoil it for you but basically it boils down to a man who held bitterness and a grudge for over 17 years and it flowed over into all areas of his life. It was grace that finally set him free. Basically grace means giving up your right to get back at someone and to give it to God. It is trying to be like God. It is defined as a capacity to accommodate and forgive. Try to see people through Gods' eyes and ask God "Why is this person acting like this" and instead of lashing back in some fashion pray for the person.
Look at Jesus up on the cross being beat to a bloody pulp. He had all the reason in the 'human world' to be angry but instead he said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). Remember the real enemy is not the person but the devil who tries to destroy relationships and get people all angry and bent out of shape. Even if the other person is not kind you go ahead and show God's love and let God take care of the rest.
Ephesians 4:27 says "for anger gives a foothold to the devil." Finally watch what you say and how your react. Colossians 4:6 says " Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
PRAYER: Dear Lord thank you for situations you put in our life to allow us to practice grace skills. No matter if it is someone we know or a stranger we thank you for helping us ahead of time to know how to respond. Help us Father to see hurting people through your eyes Lord and show compassion. Lord Help me to love people like you do and give me the ability to love and show grace even when humanly I do not feel up to it. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Footnote..I have added a nice praise song to help you focus on God.
I just stumbled upon your blog this morning. Thanks so much for your support & mention of the new THE GRACE CARD movie that releases to theaters next Friday (2/25/2011). I really appreciate your sharing the information with your readers.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested, I wanted to let you know about THE GRACE CARD app released on Facebook last weekend! This app provides you and your fans/friends the opportunity to share an exclusive 5-minute clip of the movie with their friends!
Please feel free to share this information/links on your blog as well:
"WATCH an exclusive 5-minute clip from the The Grace Card movie's FACEBOOK page before it opens in theaters across the nation next Friday, 2/25/2011!"
1. DIRECT LINK to app: http://apps.facebook.com/providentfilms/thegracecard/splash?utm_source=thegracecard_2_14
2. Link to Grace Card fan page: http://www.facebook.com/thegracecard?sk=app_7146470109
I was happy to mention Grave Card. Great message.
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