The
Nature of Jesus
What would it be like to
be God, and to know that you are God? We all like to pretend we are God
sometimes. We want to act like we have the power to control certain situations,
or we want to act like we can control another person, and our list of trying to
be God goes on, and on, and on.
Jesus was just like us. He could smell, touch, feel things,
experience hurt, pain, anger, and He was God. Imagine what you would do when
someone hurt you and your anger burned strong within you. What would you do?
Would you denigrate them into a steaming pile of goo, or would you love them
and offer them forgiveness and die for them? I am willing to bet the 1st
would be your choice.
Imagine the self-control that it took Jesus to hold back on
those Pharisees. Imagine the self-control that it took him to not lust after
women. Imagine the self-control that it took to walk to that cross. Guys we are
weak. It is about time that we step out of our little bubble of denial and admit
that. No matter what we do, we can not achieve the things that Jesus achieved. If
we could, he would not have had to endure the painful death on the cross that
we deserved. Remember – he did that for us!
When someone makes me angry, I usually get upset and
overcome with emotions. Instead of talking to God and saying, “Lord, please
help me to forgive this person.” It is realistically more like, “Lord, please
help me to not kill this person right now.” And by not going to them and
resolving the issue immediately, resentment and hatred toward that person start
to build. If I continue to let this go unhandled, then I am talking to someone
else about the person behind their back. That is like pouring gasoline on a
fire. We have all been guilty of this at some point in our lives.
I am not God and I do not hold the position to judge anyone
for their actions. I am a sinner, you are a sinner, they are a sinner, we are
all sinners. What is the difference between all the sins that I have committed verses
the sin that a person commits against me? God forgave me for all the horrible
things that I have done. So why can I not forgive the person for doing me
wrong? That is the proper response. Forgive and forgive immediately. Make things
right immediately. Between you and the person. Not your entire click, or your
entire work family.
Although our nature will never be like that of Jesus Christ,
our attitude can be altered by prayer, the study of God’s Word, and the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit who is within us! It is up to us if we choose to follow! The
next time someone upsets you, try something different. Try to gently tell them
how they upset you and that you forgive them for that. See if that does not
work better than allowing anger and resentment to take control.
Be Encouraged, Chris
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