Friday 23 Mar 2012

Friday Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:14
14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Devotion:
There is always a side of love that man does not like to think about – not just men but humans in general. That part of love that we don’t like to be reminded about is ‘responsibility’. Not only do we have to display our love through what we do and can do but we also need to be ‘man’ enough to stand up and say when something is wrong. This is very often a hard pill to swallow because we don’t ever like to be told that we are wrong! Just think about your past and think what you may have turned out to be like if you were never told that anything was wrong. If you were never given any rules to live by or were never told when you broke those rules... how would you ever be able to know that there are consequences for breaking rules?

If we do love someone then we must be willing to tell them when they do go astray or when they do make mistakes. We must be willing to put aside our pride and put aside their pride and make the truth known. It is not always going to be the case that the strongest have to make a stance against the weakest because even the strongest amongst us will make mistakes. When someone we look up to makes a mistake we should be able to make it known to them that they have made a mistake. That does not mean that we need to publish it on Facebook or broadcast it to the world through any other media; what it means is that we must be willing to approach them personally and allow them to know that you think that have made a mistake. Allow them to admit their mistake and don’t try to force it out of them because God has given them a free will as well.

The other side of the coin is that there are always going to be people that will look to you for strength and for an example. For those people we need to remain firm and consistent so that they may learn through example. We have all had people in our lives that have been examples for us to follow. Even if you are the most unlucky person in the world you still have an example through Christ. Thankfully I have had many people in my life that have been fantastic examples to me, and yes it has taken me a long while to realise that!

If we aim to serve God it is not just going to be through being a preacher, teacher or servant in the church that we do that; serving God means being more willing to do His will in our lives for His sake. That means taking His love with us and sharing that same love that Christ was willing to share. That means standing up for the righteous!

Points to Ponder:
Do you correct others in love?

Do you listen to God trying to correct you?