Christian Living
We live in tumultuous times of segregation and fighting over what is right or wrong. We are blessed to live in a country that allows us freedoms that provide numerous choices. However at times these choices leave things open for interpretation. When someone starts enforcing their decisions on another the other feels their right to think different is being abused. This breeds hate that creates misconceptions and vicious cycles. At this point we are simply getting in our own way. God wants us to love him but by our own choice not by enforcement. If God gave us the ability to make our own choice, who are we to judge another brother for thinking different? He gave us freewill not a wooden mallet to pass judgment. When we take it upon ourselves to police God’s will we are defeating his purpose.
The action of our hearts is what God looks for in his followers and ultimately is what spreads his word. We all fall and stray from the path at some point, some find themselves and some remain lost but there is not one mother, father, preacher or friend that will have the ability to be the judge when we each take our last breath. At the end of the day when we lay our heads down we need to be right with God no one else so therefore our focus should be more on living by his will instead of being angered or judgmental towards the ones who do not. If your neighbor is an atheist do we get angry and pronounce their damnation to hell? Even though in our hearts we think we are trying to convert them for the betterment of their well being this action is more of an infringement on their freewill. They may be walking in the steps of God more so then the ones who pass judgment and will eventually find their way to God on their own. If someone is at a party and the people are aggressive and angry those actions tend to make us want to flee. However if we are inviting and warm and everyone is laughing and having a good time we are more inclined to stay and investigate. Patience is a virtue and in due time maybe they will willingly seek love instead of its absence and God will be waiting for them.
Sometimes we are wronged in some way be it petty or significant when this occurs we need to learn forgiveness. By harboring ill will and anger towards the person who wronged us does not hurt them it only destroys us. It is a parasite that crawls under our skin before long all we can think about is that anger, next thing you know we want them to suffer as we did. Where is God’s love in that? God is a God of love but he is also a vengeful God, so allow your savior to bestow the vengeance while you seek forgiveness for yourself and others. We are all human and we make countless mistakes and commit endless sins on a daily basis we have enough on our plates to worry with and vengeance is not ours to give.
The first step is to ask for God’s pity on us for thinking we are greater than him. Anyone who feels they have the right to pass judgment or punish someone else is putting themselves above our Lord. We were given freewill not the power to persecute. The next step towards peace is to ask for the pity for our aggressors for they have lost their way as well. We are not pawns on a chess board we have direction and we should make meticulous moves in order to reach God’s will.
We live by goals we set and ultimately we seek happiness. Everyone’s definition of happiness is different but the ultimate reward is the same. Is it acceptable to think that one person derives pleasure from evil they cause to another or are these simply power hungry individuals with distorted views that are seeking happiness like anyone else. Maybe they are so blinded they cannot see they are harming others and eliminating any chance for true peace and happiness for themselves. So the seed is planted and they grow more and more confused and enraged. Ironically they repeat the same actions over and over trying to achieve happiness and expect eventually a different result will occur. That is a sad state to be engulf by so much darkness your eyes can no longer see the light. Because we are human when we are betrayed we seek revenge and the feeling of betrayal comes when we cannot find happiness and so the cycle goes on and on.
Who is to blame? Us, we are all guilty and not a single person is immune. We feel sorry for ourselves and take on the victim role. By being a victim we can justify our actions. We cannot be held responsible for the action of someone else even if their actions spill into our daily lives. We question our Creator’s motives and ask why he has done this to us. Not only have we passed judgment on another human but now we are passing it on our Father. We have lost our way. We are prisoners of war fighting an endless battle of vicious cycles.
We need to find our way back to him and let him carry the burden of judgment. Focus on behaving within his grace and walking the steps that glorify our maker. Pray that he gives us the strength to do so by his grace not by propagating misconceptions and hatred. Ask for patience and forgiveness for those who have not yet found their way. By setting this example and living by his word we are encouraging others to follow. God is love and therefore we should be soldiers carrying our hearts not guns. The best way to start walking toward his light is to understand there are no victims only survivors and God will always bless the survivors and reward their hard work.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 766 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Rebecca Hosking or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 766 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.