Getting along with others is often difficult because we each have our own personal issues to deal with. Sometimes, we find we are unable to do what we really need to do.
The one key factor that will enable you to do the things you should is to make sure your spiritual life is in good condition. If you neglect it, you’ll grow cold, and that will leave you feeling sadly empty inside.
If your spiritual life isn’t in good condition, and someone makes you angry, you may be able to suppress it and be nice, and then falsely call it “Christianity.” But the Christian life isn’t about perfecting your acting abilities, and pretending becomes awfully hard when you’re angry. You become tense and up tight inside and sooner or later, your anger bursts out in ways that hurt you and others around you.
Ephesians 4:31 offers a solution: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you.” This requires a right spiritual condition.
The next verse pushes you to take another step, instructing you to “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”
Your response to this teaching may well be, “But they don’t deserve it!”
Perhaps after considering these scriptures for some time, you decide the Bible is right, and choose to give it a try. But, to your surprise, you can’t do it! Why not? You need a Helper! You need Jesus Christ in your life!
2 Corinthians 3:4 tells us that, “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves”
“Wait a minute,” you say. “There are lots of things I can do for myself – get an education, get a job, even get a promotion.”
Yes, you may be able to do these things without God’s help. But there’s one thing you cannot do without His help, and that’s control your soul. You can live up to the letter of the law, being nice and putting on a good face when you’re seething inside. But to have a kind spirit behind your niceness isn’t possible without God’s help.
The third chapter of 2nd Corinthians goes on in verses 5 and 6 to tell us: “Our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” WOW!
You have to make a decision between acting and being. What will it be?
Take a step . . .
Take a moment to pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, please forgive my sins and come and live in my heart. I realize I am helpless without You. I need You in my life in order to experience peace. Give me Your love so I can love those around me. Help me to walk in the peace of Your Spirit. Amen.”
This summary is from Dr. Brandt’s audio message Peace.
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