Devotion Friday February 08, 2008

Friday, February 08, 2008

Abuse

A fly may sting a stately horse and make him wince; but one is but an insect, and the other is a horse still.

Samuel Johnson
1709-1784, British Author

1 Corinthians 15:55-58
"O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. NASU

Norman Mailer, who passed away last year, said this of our current condition in America. In America all too few blows are struck into flesh. We kill the spirit here, we are experts at that. We use psychic bullets and kill each other cell by cell. To a great degree you would have to admit there is some truth to this. Television shows that put people together to see what their human nature will contrive to stay alive, and not be “voted out” are very popular, and growing more numerous.
It is because of the human struggle to be accepted, and it seems that we as a society have gotten into a constant habit of “weighing” one another. It is not always bad to size up a situation, but we are so many times wrong in the sizing up of one another. This is the power of criticism, and so many times people are very harsh in their judgmental attitudes of one another.
Criticism is always a dangerous thing to participate in, it is a double edged sword that may be exposing the heart of the speaker, as the blows are dealt to ears of the hearer and there can be grievous wounds on both sides. In working for the Lord there will always be times when someone’s words or their actions of will wound us, we will feel their sting. But, there is one thing that we must always take into account and that is their sinful condition, and react accordingly.
Sometimes reactions may be with words of correction, and sometimes with words of understanding. What is more harmful to the Body of Christ though is the actions of people in the name of doing good, and it is surprising how we come to consensus on what is good and not good, and the small things that cause Christians to “sting one another.”
One thing that Christians must remember is that we are still not perfect, and that little “insect” of human nature still lurks within us. We are to grow into the much bigger stature of Christ, and when we stand in his strength, then we can wince and go on without stinging in return, it is the duty of Christians to forgive, as we wish to be forgiven, for that sting of death, the power of the law, still waits within us to return evils blow for blow…God Bless

Pastor William