And now I will show
you the most excellent way
What a revealing instruction we have in (1 Corinthians 13)
for understanding our potential for hypocrisy. In the thirteenth chapter of
this; the Apostle Paul’s letter to the believers of Corinth
He states in the very first verse; “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I
am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). And,
he goes on to say in (v.2); “If I have
the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” Then
consider how he describes “Love is
patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It
is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Recently, a very rough, ill-kept appearing woman, and a
young teenager, who I assume was her son, rudely bumped into my shopping basket
at Wal-Mart. The boy was dressed in all black with baggy pants, heavy-looking
chains and multiple body piercings. Together they presented a profile of
trouble, anger and looked like people to be avoided. At least this was my first
impression. I offered my “excuse me” moving my basket to the side and faked a
friendly smile for them but, they only grumbled, muttering something I didn’t
understand and pushed their cart on down the aisle. I think I may have silently
muttered myself saying, “Well, excuse me!” At that same moment the presence of
the Holy Spirit convicted me that anger does not remedy anger. He allowed me to
see these two rather as; worthy children of God who were dealing with troubled
lives most likely forced upon them by some evil acts of Satan’s world. Maybe
not totally innocent themselves, but nonetheless loved by God and worthy to be
forgiven by Him. Who am I to judge them? Instead, I was to think thoughts of
love for them (even though they never knew I did) and to pray for them and
their salvation in Christ.
Anger, resentment and thoughts of retaliation are no less needful,
or less deserving of God’s healing than any other symptoms of distress or
disease. They may even be among those root causes that present the ill-seeds of
sickness we all wish to avoid.
It’s hard sometimes to think like Christ, but then, just as
He is love so should we be.