How sincere is a believer’s allegiance to God if they reject His Word whenever it infringes upon their ideologies? Surely, they can’t expect to flourish when they cherry-pick the Truth.
Today, the world is bombarded with heated controversial issues that test our commitment to serving the Lord. It makes me wonder if He allows these intense disputes for our enlightenment; we need to know how strong our loyalty is to the truth of His Word when under pressure. For example, do you stand or fold when God said you are to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who mistreat you? (See Luke 6:27-28.)
The Bible addresses how we should handle conflicts and indifferences. Our tactic should come from love and unity, not hatred and division. Beware of people who use religious terminology, yet the content of their message promotes discord. We must read the Word and study how Jesus confronted conflicts.
Jesus included—not excluded.
- When the Jewish leaders and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, Jesus told them—he, without sin, cast the first stone. (See John 8:1-9.)
- Lepers were considered outcasts in Jesus’ day, but when a man with leprosy came to Him, He saw him as a human being needing to be healed. (See Matthew 8:1-4.)
- Tax collectors were despised, so when Jesus went to Levi’s house to dine, people didn’t understand. (See Mark 2:13-17).
- In Jesus’ day, Jews avoided Samaritans (like we shun those unlike us today). But Jesus didn’t ignore the Samaritan woman at the well. Instead, he talked to her and used her cup to drink. (See John 4:1-29.)
- When Jesus was on the cross, He asked His Father to forgive the people because they didn’t know what they were doing. (See Luke 23:34.)
Jesus’ stance was about love and compassion. He condemned the sin—not the sinner. We are to imitate Him. If we take any other approach, we are rejecting the TRUTH.
If anyone separates from me, he is thrown away like a useless branch, withers, and is gathered into a pile with all the others and burned (John 15:6, TLB).
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (See John 14:15.)
© 2022
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