God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello,

One of the words that you hear often in Christian circles is grace. The Definition according to Webster’s Dictionary is “the free and unmerited favor of God.”  But did you know that you too can offer grace to others?

When a Christian is acting or speaking in a manner that seems uncharacteristic of them and doesn’t align with their faith, are you judgmental and then gossip about them, or do you offer grace? First ask yourself, why is this person acting this way? It could be a  righteous reason such as sticking up for someone less powerful. Whatever the case may be, there are many reasons why a Christ follower could get upset.  If our first impulse is to judge this Christian who is acting in an ungracious way,  I think we need to spend a little more time in Scripture.  Scripture teaches:

“… set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. (1 Tim 4:12b)

We as humans will always fall short of our Christian calling- which is a very important fact to keep in the forefront of our minds; therefore grace is the answer. The people who invented the “What Would Jesus Do” or “WWJD” bracelets had this Biblical teaching absolutely correct – always act in a way that the greatest Teacher of all would do, and if needed, put a reminder on your body so that you pause a moment before reacting.

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands, and bind them on your foreheads.” (Deut 11:18 NIV)

It’s important to remember to extend grace to others as well as ourselves. If we give ourselves grace to be an imperfect human, then we are less likely to become discouraged. If we extend grace to others, we are spreading love in the world. If we listen to gossip brought to our ear and then do not offer a tender hearted reply, we aren’t showing grace and we too are guilty and fall short of God’s glory.

The walk of faith is lengthy and hard because we are swimming upstream constantly in this world. Offering a kind word and an attitude of true compassion is the way to go. A blessing will follow for you when you act in the way of the Lord. More importantly than that, we are called to be God’s hands and feet in this world and this is impossible with a judgmental attitude!  There are so many reasons in this world today for a human being to act in a manner clashing with their Christian faith- a true follower of the Lord would offer help, kindness and compassion not gossip.

It’s easy to be judgmental.  It’s hard to follow the teachings of the Lord, and that is precisely why God gave us His holy Spirit.  Those who live according to the Spirit let the little incidences of life fall off of their shoulders and aren’t offended because the Holy Spirit reminds us to look beyond the action and into the the person.

Let’s all go out this week and offer kindness and compassion to all on our path. This is what being a Christ follower is all about.

Have a wonderful and peaceful week!

Lisa