Scripture: But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. Amos 6:12b NIV
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. Titus 1:15 NIV
Observation: The Lord warns the Israelites about having such a righteous attitude that they lose their compassion for those around them. He also warns of how easily we can twist our beliefs, values and laws into a reason to raise ourselves above others. We know those who don’t know Christ like we do. We also know those that we don’t believe are as Christ-like as we are. In these scriptures the Lord makes it clear that no gray area exists. We must either be consistently seeking purity or we will find ourselves corrupted.
Application: This hit me like a ton of bricks. There are people in my life who I don’t want to like. They have hurt me or those that I love and even continue to do so. I find myself getting my righteous Christian chest all puffed up when I must have contact with these people. I have prayed for them and asked the Lord to help me have a better attitude where they are concerned but sadly, I still just don’t like them. This saddens me greatly because I’m a friendly, compassionate and giving person, right? Yet I can’t get around the hurt. Even in my “righteous forgiveness” I harbor anger and disdain. Jesus forgave those who crucified him! He forgave everyone and he has set a great example for all of us, yet my ability to show his kind of compassion falls terribly short.
Prayer: Lord I surrender my mind to you, help me! It’s saddens me that I can’t rise above my anger and hurt to forgive those who have hurt me. My heart wants to but my mind keeps replaying the past. Lord break this cycle in me and let me truly humble my self-righteous, Christian attitude and let me forgive. Protect my heart and mind. Satan uses these people to perpetuate the rejection and anger I have felt for a long time. Lord you love me so much and your sacrifice was great, you deserve better from me. Help me to see these people through your eyes. Use me Lord to display your love to my antagonists. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen
Laurie
Instructions For Life According to Jesus Christ 