BBD 07.23.13 The Jerk (Classic)
Posted by: wrathered <wrathered@...>
Visit the
Burning Bush websites:
The
Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 15 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than
16,000 subscribers across the world.
You can
leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.
There is
a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of
all of the pages.
The Burning Bush Devotional
14,000 Subscribers
to the Email Devotional
Classic from 2006
07.23.13
The Jerk
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of
all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all
men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it
is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore, “If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so
doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:17-21.
You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to
those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute
you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…. - Matthew 5:43-45a.
A manager of a British company became a little upset
after he had gotten some discarded chewing gum on his slacks. He became so
upset that he at first planned to give all of the 80 employees a DNA test to
determine whose chewing gum it had been. Employee reaction was so poor to that
idea that he then threatened lie detector tests for them all.
There is a word that describes the manager of the company
that became upset with his employees after finding the gum on his slacks. I
looked up the definition of the word “jerk” as it applies to a person in
several dictionaries and here are some of the definitions:
“Contemptibly foolish person.”
“Deal with dishonestly or unfairly.”
“An annoyingly stupid or foolish person.”
“A contemptibly naive, fatuous, foolish, or
inconsequential person.”
“A foolish, rude, or contemptible person.”
“A useless or idiotic person.”
Here’s my own definition of a “jerk”: “A prideful, self-seeking, uncaring, and mean-spirited person who sees,
at least in the case above, his employees as being little more than slaves.”
What do you do when you have a supervisor who is a jerk?
What do you do when others you encounter in life are jerks? Do you strike back?
Do you have a work slowdown, or a strike? Do you quit your job as soon as
possible?
It will usually be tempting to try to return evil for
evil. However, that is not what we as Christians are to do. It is not our place
to exact vengeance. It is the Lord’s place to do the avenging and He promises
to do it. That gives us the freedom to live in emotional peace even in the
worst circumstances. Knowing our Lord will repay we can ourselves repay evil with
kindness. We are to maintain a Christian witness by our actions in the face of
someone who acts toward us like a jerk. As you determine in your heart to do so
the Lord will give you the power necessary just as he did for the apostle Paul
who said, “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me (Philippians
4:13).”
Actions alone, however, are not enough when you have to
interact and associate with a jerk. You will find much comfort and peace in
praying for them. Make them a priority in your prayer life and make their
family a priority in your prayer life. It may be that God will change their
hearts and the jerk will be transformed into a servant of God. It has
happened before and the apostle Paul is an example of such dramatic change.
Copyright © 2006-2013. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
these first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.
Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
No matter what the size your church, Ed will come on a love offering basis for
a revival or to share his testimony in the continental United States. You can
make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or WratherEd@gmail.com
View LinkedIn profile with endorsements at
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105
Prayer Requests: Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of
prayer - please pray for me.).
Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group.
The group began in 1998 and is made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org
There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.
You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo
devotional group by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org
and then respond to the confirmation email.
You may
subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is
only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.
--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org