Good News: Living a life that is free of offense instead of running to the Lord

Are you involved in America’s new favorite pastime? It’s taking the country by storm. What is it? Being offended. And many of us are getting very good at it. You would expect unbelievers to excel at being offended with the hypocrisy of their faux righteous indignation, but too many believers are stepping up their game as well in playing the offended game. We have a choice when offended; keep thinking about it or run to the Lord and pray about it. That’s what David did as told to us in Psalm 109, “In return for the kindness and love I showed them, they accuse me, but I will give myself over to prayer.”

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13, the often-quoted love chapter, “Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” That’s how the Lord treats us. Psalm 130:3 says, “If you kept a record of sins Lord, who could stand?” The obvious answer is no one. And what happens if we do keep a record of the offenses that come our way? Corruption. Heb 13:5 says, “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”

That’s the thing about holding on to offenses, we like to talk about it to others and our offense can corrupt everyone around us. Paul warned the Galatians, “If you bite and devour each other, watch out, you will be destroyed by each other.” So, what is the way out of offense? Keep your cool. Solomon, commonly referred to as the wisest man in the world, said in Prov. 12:16 “A fool loses control, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.” A few proverbs later he says in Prov. 19:11, “Those with good sense control their temper; they gain respect by overlooking wrongs.” There will always be those who get under our skin and press our buttons. Paul said in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Those words, “As far as depends on you” are comforting because there are those in our life who don’t care about being at peace, they just want to be right, rule the day, and win the fight. You can only control yourself.

The temptation to hang on to offenses, play that endless loop in your head of what they said or did, and keep a record of wrongs will keep us from achieving God’s will of winning the lost to Him. Unbelievers will want to stay unbelievers if all they see are Christians that are always nursing offenses. Jesus prayed in John 17, “Father, I pray that they all may be one as You and I are one. May they be one in Us so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” That last line is the kicker, the unsaved will believe that Jesus was sent by the Father when the church is in unity and not offending and being offended. Let’s remember the words the Holy Spirit penned through Paul in 2 Cor. 4:17 “Our light and temporary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs all the small stuff.”

You can text Ken Staley at 918-852-9797. Ken is the pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove 9:30 a.m. and Harrisville Methodist 11 a.m. Both are Global Methodist congregations.