8-12Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
I sit here this morning trying to do these things in the flesh. Major W. Ian Thompson (The Saving Life of Christ) reminds me again this morning “there is nothing quite so nauseating or pathetic as the flesh trying to be holy! The flesh has a perverted bent for righteousness – but such righteousness as it may achieve is always self-righteousness and self-righteousness is always full of self praise. This produces the extrovert who must always be noticed, recognized, consulted and applauded. On the other hand, when the pursuit of self-righteousness fails, instead of being self praise, it is filled with self pity and this produces the introvert – a professional case for professional counselors.
The devil doesn’t mind whether you are an extrovert or introvert, whether you succeed, or whether you fail in the energy of the flesh, whether you are filled with self-pity or self-praise, for he knows that in both cases you will be preoccupied with SELF not Christ – EGO-centric not DEO-centric!”
The Holy Spirit must be allowed to perform this IN me. I must surrender to him today. I must allow him to make the decisions in my life, and I must live my life in a conscious awareness that the God of the heaven has a plan for my life and wants to get me there. I am also confident this morning that all I need on the trip comes with his might and power and ability to supply all things according to his riches in Christ Jesus.
I cannot do these things…but HE WILL. What a testimony that would be. People around us are hurting. They are needing people who will live a compassionate caring life toward them.
