How you react to a situation either makes you
a better (or worse) individual. (You can react positively in a bad situation
even when you don’t know all the details of the situation.)
You will lose your patience at times over
various situations, but do not lose your character in the process also.
Life will always be full of burdens. When
they happen, lean on God more tightly.
Gentle
reactions require us to…
1.
Be tough (thick-skinned) - Blessed are those who are persecuted
for doing what God approves of. The kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. (Matthew
5:10, NOG)
2.
Manage anger well-Think long; think hard. When you are
angry, don’t let it carry you into sin. When night comes, in calm be silent.
(Psalm 4:4, VOICE)
3.
Receive criticism graciously-Accepting constructive
criticism opens your heart to the path of life; making you right at home among
the wise. (Proverbs 15:31, TPT)
4.
Forgive completely (all-the-way) - In prayer there is a connection
between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for
instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut
yourself off from God’s part.
(Matthew 6:14-15, MSG)
5.
Bless those who wrong us-Ask God to bless those who
say bad things to you. Pray for those who are cruel to you.
(Luke 6:28, ICB)
All-in forgiveness is not an event, but a
lifestyle.
In life, you must be able to tell the
difference between constructive and critical criticism. Comments that can make
you wiser need to be used for your betterment. Hurtful (critical) comments that
accomplish nothing, but unneeded emotional pain in you should be thrown out mentally
(like the weekly trash). Constructive relationships build better human beings.
Anger comes in two kinds: moral and
unhelpful. Moral (righteous) anger involves a situation where people are being
treated unfairly. Unhelpful (destructive) criticism is most commonly the result
of one person’s anger over another individual (or group of people).
Self-denial makes you more like Jesus (and
less like yourself). Jesus died to make you fully right (not half right) with
Himself and others.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short
of God’s glorious standard. (Romans
3:23, NLT) No one is perfect so give them the grace of
God.
“Strength of a character isn't always about how much you can handle
before you break. It’s also about how much you can handle after you've been
broken.” (Robert Tew)[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon
“Gentle Reactions: The Gentle Way,” (installment three, final) Sunday July
26, 2020, Pastor Jon Fulton. All CenterPoint churches are closed due to
COVID-19, and are meeting online at 10am at the CenterPoint Church Main Page on
Facebook.)
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