emulator
February 25th 2004, 04:23 PM
Something that we as christians often overlook in our walks is self control. We have to exercise it daily but somehow we manage to overlook it. How do we do that?
Well one very pertinent answer is: we spend to much energy trying to control others; we overlook ourselves.
The problem in this is that we can't change anyone else. We think we can like that poor girl who looked at her soon to be husband and said to herself, "Well I can fix him, I'll have him straight in a jiffy." Her self delusion gets her into a situation where she comes to reallize that not only is she not able to change him; but it is discouraging to try. Yes it saps the life right out of a relationship when one person tries to control the other.
Remember what Jesus said about the pole in your eye and the speck in another persons eye? You should naturally be able to see the pole in your own eye much easier than that little speck in his eye right? Ahhh but the nature of the flesh is of another persuasion. The flesh would rather not recognize it's own faults, no rather it uses it's intellect to recognize the faults of others. Note that word 'recognize'. To recognize something means to see something that you have seen before. Most of the time when we recognize the faults of others we are identifying those faults as discrepancies that we have or have had ourselves. The difference between us and them is that we can rightly identify the causes and the means by which to solve our problems, atleast we have that capacity. But in the case of them we have no immediate understanding of there situation; that's the name of the game because we are not them.
When Jesus says get the speck out of your eye first, when do you think you will run out of specks? Did you ever think of that? You my friend (as much as I) will always be able to find specks wherever you look. There is no justification for me trying to dig out the splinters of others. If you had a splinter in your hand don't you think you could remove it with greater accuracy and less pain than if I tried to manipulate it? And who am I to judge the severity of my brothers transgressions, and the order in which they should be blotted.
Now, none of this is meant to stop you from rebuking your brother. Let it be undertood though, for you to be in that position means that you have invested time getting to know that person well enough that he has welcomed your friendship (acountability, responsibility, and advice.) In any other situation you are out of place if you decide to speak boldly. All of the change that you wish to impose on another is best dealt in measures of love. What, what did em say (?), love? Yes most assuredly I say to you, love is the greatest of these; with love you can soften concrete, lighten a load, and bring down walls. If we really want to see change in another person it will start with a loving attitude, not bombardment. Your greatest tool for changing someone else is going to be prayer, maybe you should start by praying for your atitude towards that person; then pray for God's loving hand to move in their life (not the way you want it to) to renew them and complete the work that He wills as it should be done. Then you wait with belief and supplication (this being many fold) ; we wait with patience being assured of that which has been given.
Well one very pertinent answer is: we spend to much energy trying to control others; we overlook ourselves.
The problem in this is that we can't change anyone else. We think we can like that poor girl who looked at her soon to be husband and said to herself, "Well I can fix him, I'll have him straight in a jiffy." Her self delusion gets her into a situation where she comes to reallize that not only is she not able to change him; but it is discouraging to try. Yes it saps the life right out of a relationship when one person tries to control the other.
Remember what Jesus said about the pole in your eye and the speck in another persons eye? You should naturally be able to see the pole in your own eye much easier than that little speck in his eye right? Ahhh but the nature of the flesh is of another persuasion. The flesh would rather not recognize it's own faults, no rather it uses it's intellect to recognize the faults of others. Note that word 'recognize'. To recognize something means to see something that you have seen before. Most of the time when we recognize the faults of others we are identifying those faults as discrepancies that we have or have had ourselves. The difference between us and them is that we can rightly identify the causes and the means by which to solve our problems, atleast we have that capacity. But in the case of them we have no immediate understanding of there situation; that's the name of the game because we are not them.
When Jesus says get the speck out of your eye first, when do you think you will run out of specks? Did you ever think of that? You my friend (as much as I) will always be able to find specks wherever you look. There is no justification for me trying to dig out the splinters of others. If you had a splinter in your hand don't you think you could remove it with greater accuracy and less pain than if I tried to manipulate it? And who am I to judge the severity of my brothers transgressions, and the order in which they should be blotted.
Now, none of this is meant to stop you from rebuking your brother. Let it be undertood though, for you to be in that position means that you have invested time getting to know that person well enough that he has welcomed your friendship (acountability, responsibility, and advice.) In any other situation you are out of place if you decide to speak boldly. All of the change that you wish to impose on another is best dealt in measures of love. What, what did em say (?), love? Yes most assuredly I say to you, love is the greatest of these; with love you can soften concrete, lighten a load, and bring down walls. If we really want to see change in another person it will start with a loving attitude, not bombardment. Your greatest tool for changing someone else is going to be prayer, maybe you should start by praying for your atitude towards that person; then pray for God's loving hand to move in their life (not the way you want it to) to renew them and complete the work that He wills as it should be done. Then you wait with belief and supplication (this being many fold) ; we wait with patience being assured of that which has been given.