Post by tomdurst on Jul 29, 2010 11:51:26 GMT -5
OVERCOMING EVIL IN THE WORLD
By Thomas E Durst
By Thomas E Durst
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”--1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)
"So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer."-- 2 Corinthians 5:16 (NET Bible)
Most of the time we look at others and judge them by the outward appearance. We have all kinds of judgmental labels that we apply to people based upon how they look. I'm currently focusing heavily on learning to get past this very shallow way of living and am asking God to help me to apply His compassion and love to everyone and to look for His image and likeness behind the outward appearance.
I don't find it easy to overcome old, long established habits but with God all things are possible and so I go forward in that wonderful assurance. The transformations that I've seen thus far by seeking to put this simple principle of compassion into practice encourage me to keep working with it.
Here are some of the ways I pray as I meet people in the normal contacts of life:
"Lord, help me to see that person with love and compassion."
"Help me to see Your image and likeness."
"I bless everyone [on this bus, in this store, in this apartment complex, in the cars that are passing by, etc.] with the love of Jesus Christ."
"I speak 'peace be still' in this place."
I invite you to take your Bible and read Zechariah 4:6 and see how it speaks to your heart. Possibly I'll say more about this verse sometime.
Do you have a desire to move more in the direction of applying love and compassion in your daily encounters with people? If so, I encourage you to go forward in faith, depending totally upon the power of the inescapable and awesome love of God--the only real power in the universe.
I invite you to read THE GENTLE ART OF BLESSING which is on the link below:
THE GENTLE ART OF BLESSING