Tag: listening

Be the bigger person

If God were easy to follow everybody would be doing it. If God always made you comfortable, if there were never any trials in your life because Of some kind of supernatural intervention there would not be any need for faith. I think that I like that He lets us face difficulty, that our decisions matter and we are made to face the consequences of the decisions that we make both the good and the bad.

It seems to me that today many people think that it is actually good to let themselves off the hook for the things that they do or think. I hear people say things like all ideas are good or that all lifestyle choices are equal. This seems absurd to me. One person says that it is society’s responsibility to take care of everybody and another says that each person is responsible for his own wellbeing. Those are quite opposite and can’t both be true. I know that is a extreme example but it makes the point.

This kind of thing gets truly evil when people think that they ought to be able to get away with stuff but you over there ought to be punished for the same thing. The more polarized we get the more that this mindset seems to rear it’s ugly head.

I know I’m being a little vague here by not pointing out some real world examples but I really want to stay a bit neutral while I think this through. I know that the us and them mentality has always been around I know that. I also know that long ago people were deeply divided by a lot of things that led to very extreme behavior but I thought that perhaps we had outgrown some of the really terrible ideas that had ruled interaction between people. I thought we had learned to be at least civil with each other, that we could share problems and solutions and be able to come to some kind of consensus. But Solomon was right. There really is nothing new under the sun.

So now I need to look into my own life to see if there is any of that in me. I don’t want to be the man that is shouting down somebody for what they did while excusing myself for my own misdeeds. I want to be the man that can listen respectfully to someone that I may disagree with and be able to have a reasonable discussion about it. I don’t want to be the man that looks past someone’s problems because I happen to agree with some of his or her thoughts or ideas. I want to be the man that is able to discern truth but not be filled with hate. I want to be the man that can be persuaded when I am wrong to see the error and make the appropriate change. I want to be the man that will gently but firmly hold fast to those things that I am confident are the truth. I want to be the man that is persuasive not belligerent. Mostly I want to be the man that loving and merciful to those around me wether I agree with them or not.

Lest I am misunderstood let me state that I will not tolerate evil. I do believe that there is real evil in the world and it must be opposed. But I must not allow myself to be evil to oppose it. Opposition must still come from a place of love and yes even mercy.

It is my prayer that after you read this you will join me in this self examination to find the condition of your heart and then follow me and make the commitment to love even those that you find youself opposing.

Be the answer to someone’s prayer

Do you ever think about how God answers our prayers? I know that I do. I do so because I get asked quite often to pray for or about a person or situation. After I pray for something or someone I will monitor the situation or circumstance as at I am able because I really like to know how my prayers are being answered. I think that is reasonable and I think also that lots of other people do,the same thing. We all ought to be looking for our prayers to be answered because that is one of the best ways we can build up our witness.

God uses people to answer prayers.

A lot of times my prayers are for people or situations that are far away from me and so my prayers are often a request that God move someone “over there” to act on behalf of whatever I am praying about. It occurs to me that there are likely people far from me making the same kind of prayers about people or situations near to me. In that case there is a possibility that God may try to move me to be the answer to that prayer.

God uses people to answer prayers because it build faith and testimony in three different people. In the one praying, the one answering, and the one for whom the prayer was offered.

For the believer being a co-laborer with God in these situations is privelage that is not to be taken lightly. Being an answer to prayer may take courage or boldness. It may include the possibility of persecution or danger. It could expose you to difficult circumstances. It could even lead to emotion or spiritual stress. But along with these come certain blessing and great joy a well.

If you want to be used by God as the answer to someone else’s prayer (and you should) there are a few things you’d better know because while He is sovereign and can use anyone he prefers to use the qualified. So what makes one qualified?

First you must be available. If you are self absorbed paying attention only to yourself and your concerns it will be hard for you to be used purposefully by God. Selfishness is a barrier to a meaningful prayer life. It is something that God dispises. Paul reminds us in Romans 12 that we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice as our duty to God. We are to lay ourselves on the altar and by doing so we become ready for his use. The word to use here is holy, that is set aside for his purposes. Again Paul says in his letter to Timothy that a vessel that is to be used for honorable purposes must be clean.

Second you must be listening. God speaks to us in any number of ways so in order to be used we ought to be paying close attention to Him. We need to be praying. Remember that prayer is a two way conversation with God. All too often we get so caught up in our requests that we forget to be listening. We forget to pause and give Him a chance to say something to us. He also speaks to,us through His word so keep reading scripture. This is the best way to understand His mind and ways. He will also speak to you through the people around you so pay attention and be sensitive when talking to others. Be a good listener.

Finally you must be willing. God is a gentleman. He won’t force you to do things. He may make it difficult to refuse. He may use circumstances or hardship to help you understand His will but you always get the option to opt out. Like Malachi told Ester you if you refuse God will find another way for His will to be achieved but you will miss out on the blessings that would have been yours.

What an honor we have as believers to be workers in God’s kingdom. Don’t be so self-interested that you miss the opportunities out there to be His answer to someone’s plea for help. Don’t miss the blessings that are to be yours because you are unavailable or unwilling to answer the call when it comes to you. Your testimony is your best witness and your testimony comes by answered prayers.