“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10
“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not the publicans the same? But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:46,44
The following is edited from some counsel I read recently:
“One of the most important things to know about someone, if not the most, is how they handle people who get on their bad side. It’s just a clear, concise, extremely reliable measure of character. Do they turn on people lightly, arbitrarily, or only on matters of substance and only when they are presented with no other choice? Do they stoop to silent treatments and other emotional war crimes, or are they forthright and civil in choosing to keep their distance? Do they close themselves off permanently once crossed, or are they open to forgiveness based on the relative severity of the harm done and/or on the sincerity of efforts to make amends?”
“Let all your things be done with charity.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” 1 Corinthians 14:20
“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17
As we study the Bible, seeking the mind of Christ and the understanding afforded by God’s Word, it is quite evident that faith is all about rising to the occasion of overcoming the host of life’s challenges. One of the biggest of these is human relationships.
Rather than go on the offensive or withdraw into our shell, we need to seek the grace of God to minister to and learn from our encounters. Rather than accumulate a stash of unresolved differences, we need to seek the wisdom from above for the needed maturity to grow bigger than our problems.
“If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how will thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5
SHARING
