Are You Offended by Easily Offended People?

"[Love] does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."  (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

Okay, so I know that most of us have heard parts of the above verse and others in Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians read at weddings at least once, maybe a thousand times.  It is so over-recited that it has begun to seem trite, archaic, and melodramatically idealistic.  In fact, I went to a wedding three nights ago, and guess what verses were read?!?!  However, for some reason, it really resonated with me this time.  Why?  Maybe because I am coming up on my sixth wedding anniversary, and I have been sharpened (Proverbs 27:17) by my husband for almost 2,200 days now!  The "love" talked about in these verses is a relational love, but not necessarily a romantic love.  It can pertain to platonic and familial love, as well.  In the Bible, we learn that people will know that we are disciples of Christ based on our love for one another (John 13:35).  The whole thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is about love! Verse 13 states, "And now these three remain; faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  Don't misunderstand me.  Not for a single second am I saying that loving the unlovable is easy.  Loving the lovable is not even easy all the time, either!  But Christ does it with us--EVERY SINGLE DAY! 

It's important when trying to be Christlike in our every day lives, that we remember that God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23)!  We are not perfect and won't be until death.  However, we must "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:14). "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but He gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7).  That means we need to make a very deliberate effort to love the unlovely!  How do we do this?  First, know who you are in Christ.  If you are confident in your beliefs, nobody can offend you!  If you are not offended, you are more likely to treat that person the way that Jesus would treat them.  Second, you must exercise profound self-control (a fruit of the Spirit), by "[demolishing] arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and [taking] captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). Third, make it a point to stick with steps one and two NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS!  Let's Devise2bWise all the days of our lives!

**All CAPS and bold emphasis are mine.  For those without a Gmail account, please submit comments or questions to lbeauwilliams@gmail.com.  If you have a Gmail account, please feel free to put comments on blog :)**