Other thoughts started pouring into my mind. Thoughts like, "Am I sure that the Lord is calling me into ministry?" and "Am I strong or smart enough to be a Pastor?" I know that Lord has blessed me in many ways and He has opened doors of ministry and some people have confirmed that they think that the Lord is indeed calling me into ministry in some aspect. I know I am not that smart or strong, but I also know that the Lord will supply my every need even in my weakest points. Pastors have tough rolls to play in the Body of Christ. The devil likes to stir up conflict and division and doubt.
I was even tempted not to go to Church anymore, isn't that silly? That would have played right into the devils scheme. Sometimes people hurt us. Sometimes it is accidental. Sometimes it is most definitely on purpose. My Pastor said to my one time, "Sometimes the hurt feels like a bad word."
It is very true. It does hurt. Even after an apology, but we are called to forgive and move on. It can be very hard to do that at times. That is when we must give it to the Lord and leave it there with Him. I am reminded of a famous American philosopher once said, "You've got to know when to hold them, You've got to know when to fold them, You've got to know when to walk away and the deal is done" Actually that is from a song Kenny Rogers sang which is called the "Gambler".
I feel kind of weird in quoting the lyrics of the song, but we must know when it is time to walk away and when it is time to take a stand. The Lord will help us through the Holy Spirit to make those decisions. We are called to love one another. We believers in Jesus Christ must love others whether or not they love us back. There will be some people that won't even like us for no apparent reason. It maybe something deep in their hearts. A past hurt. A bad relationship. They maybe coming to Church, but they may not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There can be a number of reasons why people are mean to us and treat us badly, but you and I have a choice of how we will react to those situations and we would be wise to handle it in a Christ like manner even though it may be very hard at times.
I am reminded of I John 3:11-20 which says,
"11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:
20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."
We believers and followers of Jesus Christ will be mistreated and hated at times, but we must hold true to our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who died for our sins. Jesus laid down His life for us to show His love for us. We must show His love to a lost and dying world. Our God is an Awesome God and He knows the hurts that people cast upon us. He knows that we feel isolated and alone. We may feel like no one else cares for us, but we know that the Lord cares for us even if no one else does or even shows it. We may not even get recognized for our efforts at cleaning the dishes at a Church supper because a certain Church person doesn't like us, but God sees our effort and He loves us. We need to be doing things for Him and not to receive credit from people anyway.
Let us love one another and encourage our Pastors because they have tough jobs and can be so easily discouraged by mean remarks. Let us press on toward the Lord Jesus who will call us Home one great Day.
Lord,
Help us to forgive those who hurt us and mistreat us.
Help us to want to pray for them.
Forgive us when we act hurtful toward others.
I know my heart is not always right and I have a long way to go.
Create in me a clean heart O God,
And renew a steadfast Spirit with in me.
Lord I uplift Pastors and their families to You.
Come soon Lord Jesus,
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
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