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
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