Skip to main content

"Question: Has condemning a person ever changed that person?"


A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book, One at a Time (p. 106). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

That is a very good question, isn't it?


Kyle continues, "It’s a significant question. Have you ever met someone who told you, 'Well, I was always this certain way, but then I met this hate-filled person who made me feel condemned, and that’s when my whole life changed!'

"No, you haven’t. Me neither." 

He goes on, "Another question: Has feeling condemned ever helped you to change? Has condemnation ever led you to transformation? I bet not, because that’s not the way it works. Romans 2:4 says it’s kindness that leads us to repentance.

"Angrily pointing out a person’s sins doesn’t lead them out of those sins. Don’t confuse your bitterness and hatred with showing tough love. Loathing doesn’t lead to life change.

"In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about how we are to treat others and warned against the seriousness of anger. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal. Jesus also did something rather shocking: he put people who have anger in their hearts in the same circle as murderers. In Matthew 5:21, Jesus said, 'You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, "'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'"'

"People would look at that and say, 'Well, I would never murder anyone.' You might hear someone defend themselves by saying, 'It’s not like I killed anybody.' So, you feel good about yourself because you’re not a murderer.

"Everyone can agree with the command, 'Thou shall not murder.' But then Jesus expanded the circle in verse 22: 'But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.'

"Jesus was making the point that you can’t compare yourself to a murderer and feel good about yourself if you have anger in your heart toward someone in your life. I have never murdered anyone, but there have been many times over the years where I’ve become angry and expressed my anger in hurtful ways—raising my voice, calling names, being disrespectful, gossiping about the person."

Later Kyle says, "Look. . . at what Jesus said in John 13:34: 'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.'"

He then said, "We are to love others as Jesus loved us. One of the primary ways Jesus loves us one at a time is by forgiving us when we don’t deserve it. That’s how we are to love others one at a time. We are to 'be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you' (Eph. 4:32)."

No, it is not through condemnation or anger that we will make a difference in our world one at a time. It is through love. Yes, yes! #continuethought














 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

“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...
Post a Comment
Read more

“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...
Post a Comment
Read more