Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Once upon a time...in a world far from ours, some very odd people had everything. They had family, friends, hobbies, the ability to earn and give money, etc.; they had everything! However, there was one big problem; they were offended about everything! Everything that leads us to our Wonderfully Weird Command: "Go to Offenders."
So many Christians today are offended and fail to practice the words of Jesus expressed in the Bible, Matthew 18:15, which says, "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over (NIV)." This command is about confronting people in Christ when making a mistake or misunderstanding happens in life. When healthy one-on-one confrontation happens, it's beautiful in the Lord where people develop strong friendships in "The Delight of the Lord" within any relationship.
All Christians need to be like Jesus and be carpenters to build healthy confrontational conversations in life. Day-to-day, we all need to confront difficult people such as a controller, a manipulator, irresponsible people, or perhaps someone downright abusive. On the other hand, it could be to build a better relationship by setting expectations to perform better within a relationship to move life forward well together. Performing better happens when we learn how to communicate or give feedback with care and honesty. Care is about respecting and connecting well with other people, and honesty is about confidence and openness about developing and performing strongly in relationships.
As seen in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve, love and work relate well with God. The more we embrace care and honesty in our relationships, the more vital everything becomes. This type of feedback or communication is about serving others fully because you care about them and want the best to happen in what you are doing. This type of feedback works in all relationships, including yourself with God, family, friendship, job, community, etc. When we keep the command, "Go to Offenders," love and work move ahead according to God's plan. It also shows we love others the way God intended love to work in the fallen times we live; 1 John 5:2 shares, "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
When going to an offender, let's set the standard by not going to them as an adversary but throwing them a rope to lift them high. Lift them where they feel loved and supported through the insights drawn from the well of Jesus rather than drowned by Satan's heel of harshness and tough love. Let's all decide in this world to embrace and perform appropriately with God and others to stay friends with Jesus and to live delightfully in the LORD through adjusting life's demands through Jesus's command, "Go to Offenders."
With Care and honesty,