It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1Cor. 13:5
In my very early 20's I had worked really hard and bought my first REAL car. I say REAL CAR because my first car technically was a Ford Escort (nicknamed CHRISTINE) because the exhaust fumes came on the inside of the car instead of the tail pipe, and I swear that car tried to kill me. So I had bought a Pontiac Bonneville. It was black with a camel colored cloth interior. I had decided to get some 5-Start aluminum wheels on it, with gold studs on it. I then got all the windows I could smoke-tinted, and had a premium after-market sound system installed so people could hear or feel me before the even saw me. When I brought home my monster of a mobile, I decided I wanted to upgrade the 6x9 speakers and decided to do that myself.
My neighbor's son was a 40yr old man that did odd jobs and had a few issues with drugs. He and I tried to take out the back dash to install the speakers and to no avail it didn't work. Later (alone and on my own) I figured out I needed to go through the trunk. That night while I slept that same crack addicted neighbor broke into my car and not only stole those same speakers, but also many of my cd's and my radio. Because of how the back dash had been ripped out.....I knew it was him. Of course the one night he's always outside trolling the streets he was nowhere to be found. As a young man, filled with unbridled anger for a multitude of reasons, my first thought was he has to pay! The police came, and couldn't do much of nothing, this angered me more....and at this point I didn't want to ride in my car, nor touch anything as I felt it was dirty and violated. I won't go into the range of emotions I endured...and let me just say they weren't God-honoring. Had I owned a gun my life would've been tragically different today.
When we feel disrespected, offended, and violated we are prone to think, say, and do things that could really lead us down a path of darkness and that's whether you are a believer or non-believer (Ask the sword slinging Peter). I can't tell you what this crack addict thought about me, or said about me, but what he did to me seemed to justify every thought I was having about him, but honestly it really didn't. Days later I learned from his mother (my neighbor) I learned he had been murdered a few days later in very neighborhood I grew up in as a child. If I'm honest I felt justice had been served...but whose justice? As a mature follower of Christ I've come to realize that Jesus desires that none would perish but would come to repentance. Since I am supposed to be an ambassador of His Kingdom, my goal should be the same as his....that I'd be a reconciler of relationships, not a champion of my own national rights, because if I am truly not of this world my agenda is not the same as the average American. This means I will speak out in ways that may not lead me to march in concert with others. This means I may like Christ, choose the path of establishing one-on-one relationships where the greatest changes occur. This means I may not entertain anyone political parties agenda but those things that pertain to upholding the will of God concerning the widows, orphans, and those that may not have a voice sign me up.
Jesus told them my kingdom is not of this world. He didn't speak out against Caesar or Pilate, He turned people onto the WORD, looked to the righteous judge His Father, and continued living in a manner that was so different that it was attractive to those that sought more out of life. Jesus demonstrated His anger once publicly with the money changers then after that continued on His tour of changing the world through loving every person He came in contact with. So while you march, or attend your meetings, I'll make sure I'm looking for the ones that are hurting because of the words you spewed or posted and offer them a hand up, instead of a handout. Continuing the GREAT CO-Mission. LGLP
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