The past 6 days have been a time of devastating sadness and grief in our community. Also criminal activities have escalated. There are very few people who haven’t been affected. In a small community one person’s trouble becomes everyone’s. I was really tempted to write about forgiveness and about God turning curses into blessings when the Holy Spirit stopped me and told me not to give the enemy any airtime. I don’t read newspapers because I don’t think I ought to focus on negative things. The same with watching TV, but here I was wanting to tell the whole world what was going on. I realized that what I was doing was no better than spreading sensation. And at the end of the day people are going to remember the description of the negative and not the lesson that was learned. Its easy to avoid speaking about negative things when its someone else’s news but when it touches you personally it’s a total different story. When its your trouble its like, ‘have you heard what happened?” or even worse, “Have you heard what happened to so-and-so?” Now there is a time and place to tell about things that have happened, but to broadcast them is not the way.
Isaiah 59:14 – Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.
I Thessalonians 5:22 – Reject every kind of evil.
Now you may say that telling your friend about what happened isn’t evil. You’re right, it isn’t, but dwelling on it and speculating about it and sharing it on social media can cause it to become evil. Instead of thinking and speaking about the bad things that have happened we should be doing what Ephesians 5:15 – 21 – Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to god the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting one to another out of reverence for Christ.
We should be encouraging each other and focusing on positive things instead of focusing on the negative and on the past. Not one of us knows what the future holds, no matter how much we think we do, we don’t have a clue. It also says giving thanks always and for everything. ALWAYS , not just when things are going well, always. I love the bit that says, “making melody in your heart”. We have to stir up the joy in our hearts. Singing praise songs has that effect. The when we have sung the song and feel better we must make sure that praise melody is still in our hearts and travels with us all day long. You can’t think and speak about negative things when you have that praise playing in your head and your heart. I challenge you to try to.
Why do we as humans always want to focus on negative things, sensational things, things that cause our hearts to feint. Why don’t we get so passionate about a soul that’s been saved instead? Speaking about a soul that’s been saved – have you been around people when they speak about a bad boy that found Jesus? They never believe that it’s possible. They speculate about how it’s highly unlikely and probably won’t last. The newly converted is watched and every action is put under a microscope. But just tell something bad, negative or sensational and everyone believes it immediately. They don’t just believe it but spread the rumor. It is so sad that we humans are so under the influence of the prince of darkness instead of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:1-2 – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Jesus gave Himself up for us, and every time we walk in love and do what God wants us to do instead of doing what our flesh wants to do we become that fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. To follow our flesh is easy. To do what we instinctively do is no effort at all. To be aware of what God wants us to do and to actually do it, that is the hard part. That is the time when your mind is calling out one thing and your heart is calling out something else and it feels like you are literally torn apart. When you give in to the flesh you know immediately that you did the wrong thing but it’s too late. The deed is done, the words are out. You can’t change it. What’s done is done. What now? Are you a failure? Is God going to kick you out of his Kingdom and erase your name from the Book of Life? Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a god like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.”
So we all have to try to focus our minds on the positive. Focus on getting that melody in our hearts and being the fragrant offering our Father is longing for.
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