Skip to main content

“The true test of our faith is not our actions. It’s our reactions.”

A thought by Mark Batterson, (2014-09-02) from his book, The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible (p. 68). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

And I don’t always get an A on this test.  I don’t always react well. 

Mark says, “It’s relatively easy to act like Jesus. It’s much harder to react like Him.”

I was reading in the 26th chapter of Matthew this morning of when Jesus was taken to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest where He was unjustly put on trial.  They were trying to find something false against Him so they could kill Him.  Many people came and told lies about Him.  In verse 62 (NCV) it says, “Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, ‘Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t you have something to say about their charges against you?’  But Jesus said nothing.”  And then after all of this they eventually took Him and put Him on a cross to die and He then said, “Father forgive them.”  Wow.  Wow.  That was His reaction.  His reaction proved who He was not His words

The truth is it takes Him inside of us to have the power to react as He would react.  We need His Holy Spirit to fill us with His love so our self doesn’t come through but His love.  We really do need Him living in and through us so we will react as He would.  We can’t do it in our own strength and power.

I need Him every day and every hour.  I need Him to help me not say a word in response and then to forgive them. 

So what about you?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...