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The following was posted on another forum. I hope it blesses you as it has blessed me.
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Brethren,
When I hear of your troubles, I share your burden. I am not immune to what you suffer. We suffer with Christ, with Whom is our fellowship.
When the heathen afflict us, and they will, if we take it personally it binds us. We ought to hand it to Jesus and seek His guidance, which frees us.
Up until recently I've been in this camp often, consigning "derogatory name of choice" to the trash heap where I judged they belonged. The lawless are hard to endure, harder to love. There is indeed a heap, Scripture tells us many will perish. This should cut us to the heart.
Still, if I behaved or thought badly in the face of them, I can repent of my error. I am a work in progress, and the grace of the Lord abounds. Maybe soon I will be rewarded with a greater patience, grace and peace in my next encounters.
There are testimonies of whom we might judge bad people, fit for the trash heap, who have been recompensed great kindness and mercy for their abuse, and their souls now belong to Jesus: because a brother or sister did not judge them, but persisted in not taking it personally.
I am far from perfect. We all are. I certainly struggle with this. But I can no longer deny the truth of it and I wish to share it. We need to seek the Lord to soften our hearts, rather than us persist in hardening them.
We are called to a higher standard by no less than our Lord Jesus. Many know this, yet do not strive to practice preserving the dignity of others. This is no small thing.
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
That is a hard truth to embrace, but watch this...
Mar 9:50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Salt makes peace?
This truth was shadowed in the meat offerings of Leviticus 2, where the Lord commanded:
Lev 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
Salt is the season that makes unsavory meat palatable. We season our speech to our brethren. We season our offerings to the Lord.
The people of God are the salt of the earth, making the earth palatable to God.
The oblation was something brought near the altar, which in the natural represented our spiritual praises and thanksgiving, a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord.
By this salt, we may keep peace with the Father. If we do not, then we are unforgiving and how will God forgive us who refuse to forgive men?
The apostle Paul exhorts the Colossians:
Col 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Salted speech pleases God, who hears our prayers and opens doors of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ to them without.
Please accept this message in the spirit with which it is offered, in kindness and truth.
Your brother in Christ
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Brethren,
When I hear of your troubles, I share your burden. I am not immune to what you suffer. We suffer with Christ, with Whom is our fellowship.
When the heathen afflict us, and they will, if we take it personally it binds us. We ought to hand it to Jesus and seek His guidance, which frees us.
Up until recently I've been in this camp often, consigning "derogatory name of choice" to the trash heap where I judged they belonged. The lawless are hard to endure, harder to love. There is indeed a heap, Scripture tells us many will perish. This should cut us to the heart.
Still, if I behaved or thought badly in the face of them, I can repent of my error. I am a work in progress, and the grace of the Lord abounds. Maybe soon I will be rewarded with a greater patience, grace and peace in my next encounters.
There are testimonies of whom we might judge bad people, fit for the trash heap, who have been recompensed great kindness and mercy for their abuse, and their souls now belong to Jesus: because a brother or sister did not judge them, but persisted in not taking it personally.
I am far from perfect. We all are. I certainly struggle with this. But I can no longer deny the truth of it and I wish to share it. We need to seek the Lord to soften our hearts, rather than us persist in hardening them.
We are called to a higher standard by no less than our Lord Jesus. Many know this, yet do not strive to practice preserving the dignity of others. This is no small thing.
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
That is a hard truth to embrace, but watch this...
Mar 9:50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Salt makes peace?
This truth was shadowed in the meat offerings of Leviticus 2, where the Lord commanded:
Lev 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
Salt is the season that makes unsavory meat palatable. We season our speech to our brethren. We season our offerings to the Lord.
The people of God are the salt of the earth, making the earth palatable to God.
The oblation was something brought near the altar, which in the natural represented our spiritual praises and thanksgiving, a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord.
By this salt, we may keep peace with the Father. If we do not, then we are unforgiving and how will God forgive us who refuse to forgive men?
The apostle Paul exhorts the Colossians:
Col 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Salted speech pleases God, who hears our prayers and opens doors of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ to them without.
Please accept this message in the spirit with which it is offered, in kindness and truth.
Your brother in Christ