The Cycle of Offense

II Timothy 2:24

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.

 

We live in a world that is more full of strife than it ever has been. It seems that people are so full of anger. They are angry about things that they can not control. Life has a way of being merciless. It has well been noted that hurting people hurt other people in turn. When we are angry we can quickly spill our anger out onto someone else without realizing what we are doing. That person then carries the anger inside until the time is right to spew it out onto someone else. The cycle of offense then continues ...

 

I was in a restaurant last night where the service was pretty terrible. As we approached the restaurant our server of choice was walking up the road away from the restaurant. I don't know if she quit or what. The young lady that was serving us was having a difficult time. The people at our table kept having to ask for the rest of their food; The orders came out with items missing.  You get the picture.

 

I realized at one point that I could either create a scene or be kind. I asked the server if she was doing alright. Her response was "no" with a voice that was kind but very overwhelmed. She told me that a waitress had left and they were very short handed.  I felt my heart go out to her. Perhaps it was her fault that the food was wrong. Perhaps it was the managers fault or the cooks fault. Perhaps it was just a bad night. I don't know. But I realized that I had a choice to either make this young lady's night better or worse. We tried to be as kind as possible and eventually she got the food right. When we left we told her that she did a great job and we tried to leave a good tip.

 

The service wasn't the best but she was doing her best.  I would rather she went home feeling good about herself than even more disgusted because I was rude to her. I'm not patting myself on the back. There are plenty of times when I have not been near as gracious as I should have in similar situations. But I have asked God to help me learn to be more patient. "For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you". (Matthew 7:2)

 

Lord, help us to be more caring and not so quick to strive. The world needs all the love we can give. In Jesus name, Amen.  

 

Graciously,

 

Pastor Jones

What is a Nobleman?

Acts 10: 10-11
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews/
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The Apostle Paul was known for starting riots everywhere that he went. It wasn't his intention, it seemed that trouble just seemed to follow him. In those days Christianity was in its infancy. There were many who wanted to snuff out this fledgling "religious movement" because they felt that it threatened their traditions. It hadn't been that long since Paul himself had changed sides. After his conversion he often found himself on the wrong side of the mob.

Thessalonica was no exception. When he came into Thessalonica he began to preach. It wasn't long before he had quite a group of believers. Acts 17:4 says that a great multitude of devout Greeks and many of the chief woman believed what he was saying. This naturally didn't sit well with the religious leaders who saw their control over the people slipping away. Before long another riot ensued and Paul and Silas had to flee by night unto Berea.

Here is where things get interesting. The Bible says of the Bereans that they were more "noble" than the people in Thessalonica  and received the word with readiness of mind searching the scriptures to see the truth in the matter. When something new is preached to us there will always be one of at least two reactions. Either we can reject the truth that we hear or we can have an open mind to search the scriptures for the truth of the matter.

The Bible calls those who will search the scriptures and accept was is written therein "noble." To be noble means to be royalty. This tells us how God views us when we are willing to accept and do our best to live by his word. One can be a pauper but if he accepts the truths of scripture, in God's eyes he is a nobleman. I want it to be said of me that I was "more noble." I want the blessings of God on my life, don't you?

 

Jesus still heals

Last night I was looking through some scriptures on healing. I looked up the word heal in my concordance and started going through every scripture listed. I found this one in Jeremiah that seemed to leap out at me.

Jeremiah 17:14 - Heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Corrie ten Boom used to tell a story about a young lady in Germany. The young lady was very sick and her brother had spent much time in prayer for her. He was reading his Bible one day and came across Mark 16:18: "And they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." He was so excited that he went to his sister and asked her if she believed the Bible. She replied that she did. He read her the scripture and then asked again, "do you believe this." She said, "I have never heard it, but I believe it because it is in the Bible." He then laid his hands on her and prayed. God immediately healed her.

The young lady went to her pastor on the next Sunday and told him what happened. She asked him if he had known that scripture was in the Bible. His reply stunned her. "My dear lady", he said. "I'm sorry to have to tell you but that verse is not part of original scripture. It was added centuries after the original was written." She was shocked for a moment and didn't know what to think. Then she looked at him and replied. "Oh what a magnificent book the Bible is that even an added verse has such power that I am healed."

I want to tell you today that there is power in the name of Jesus Christ to heal. God still does miracles. He has not changed because he is the same yesterday, today and forever. That being the case, what he did before he can and will do again. If you need healing today it is yours for the asking. God is a healer of ever physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional illness.

You don't have to say some magic words, have the atmosphere just right or anything else. He is ready and waiting to heal you. If you or someone you know needs healing claim this promise today. Call on the name of Jesus. Praise him for being the healer in your life. He is not only drawn to your needs but he inhabits your praise. (Psalm 22:3) Praise him for the healing and victory you need and he will be there right on time.

James 5:14 says we can call the elders of the church to lay hands on us and pray and we will be healed. If you need a miracle and you have prayed without results it is time for you to obey the scripture. Call for Godly elders who believe in the power of prayer. Let them pray with you, for you, and see what God will do.

I know we have all seen people who believed God and didn't get healed. We know there is a time for everyone to die. We can't avoid that. But the sickness you are in now does not have to be the one that takes you out. And you don't have to be sick when you do die. It is not God's will for you to suffer. He wants to heal because He is a healer by his very nature. Call on Jesus today. Let him show you his power. His able.

Jesus still heals!

Trusting in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones