Post by Cindy on Oct 20, 2015 13:12:29 GMT -5
Everyone tends to see other people in one of two ways. They either look for the good in others, or they look for the bad. Some folks expect others to let them down and hurt them, while other people expect others to be kind and helpful. What does God have to say about how we see others? “He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.” (Proverbs 11:27) Now, we know that one verse is not enough to show us how God views any subject, so we need to go beyond this one and make sure it doesn't stand alone. But before we get to that, let's first talk about how we each tend to view other people and the ways we do it. There actually is more then one way it's done. For example, I normally view others as good and kind unless they continuously prove the opposite to me. BUT on the other hand, I used to tend to see the sins of others much easier then my own. I'll never forget how the Lord pointed that out to me one day. I was reading a book - can't even remember what it was about anymore, but I came to a sentence that basically asked if I was the kind of person who was always underlining and/or highlighting things in books that I just knew another person really needed to read. That brought me up short because that's exactly what I'd been doing in that book! The author went on to point out that what I was doing was viewing another persons sins instead of focusing on my own. It was like I was saying that I was so much more spiritually pure then they were that I could easily take the speck out of their eye, when in fact I had a huge plank in my own eye! It didn't take a whole second to pass for me to realize the truth behind that statement and I repented immediately asking the Lord to help me see others the way He does and love them as He does, and to show me my sins instead of theirs. Since that is most definitely in God's Will for us, He of course answered that prayer and continues to do so.
Another way we tend to do this is when we meet someone, we tend to be suspicious of them, thinking they have ulterior motives, that they may want to use us, or perhaps even harm us in some way. We tend to hold back and not open our hearts to them for fear of being hurt. Then the moment they say or do something that could possibly be construed as being harmful to us, hurting our feelings or something like that, we immediately view ourselves as being justified in our thoughts about them. After that, it doesn't matter what they do or say, we won't change our minds about them because we're sure that it's all an act to get into our good graces again. Being human, sooner or later they'll do or say something else that will again cause us to say, "Ah Ha! I knew they were no good!" Sadly, we miss out on many wonderful friendships that way, not realizing that what's happening is that we're simply fulfilling our own prophecy. We expected bad, therefore we looked for it until we found it and then proclaimed ourselves right, and decided that now we would watch for their next defection for it would surely come, and of course, it did. It came because they were human and we were watching and waiting for it.
What do I mean when I say it happened because "they were human"? All humans are by nature evil. Our hearts and minds are corrupted and it's only when we are saved and abiding in Christ that we can finally experience the mind of Christ - an undefiled, uncorrupted mind. That does NOT mean that we experience His mind all the time without even trying though. It means when we seek Him and His Will through His Word daily, that His Word will little by little cleanse our hearts and minds so that we will see things clearer and clearer over time and will be able to discern good from evil through constant use of His Word and constant practice.
The one thing we tend to forget when we realize that all humans are by nature evil, is that it includes us too! We tend to forget that we can not trust our feelings, our hearts, to tell the truth. The only thing we can trust Is God and God's Word. That makes how God feels about this pretty important, don't you think? So let's see what else He says.
God tells us our attitude toward others should be one of love, as love covers all sins, just as God forgives all our sins. (1 John 3:11, 1 Peter 4:8, Matthew 6:14–15) God tells us exactly what the true definition of love really is in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7) This is how God wants us to view others - all others, both saved and unsaved. Why the unsaved? Because we can't possibly know who belongs to God and will one day become saved, but He does, so we must treat all as if they do belong to Him. Also, quite simply, because He says so and because it's how He viewed and continues to view us. We're to look for the love of God in their lives and how it's growing; or for God's mercy in their life and how it's calling them to repentance if they're unsaved, and know God loves them as much as He loves us.
We're to be kind, compassionate & not angry or bitter etc. (Ephesians 4:30–32). We're to view others as better then ourselves (Romans 12:10, Philippians 2:3). We're to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:17–18, Hebrews 12:14) as far as it depends on us. (in other words, if there's a lack of peace, it must be the other person's fault, not because of us and that doesn't mean that we're not at peace because of how they treated us!) ; We're to forget the past, not dwell on it: (Isaiah 43:18, Philippians 3:13) but instead dwell on good things (Philippians 4:8; Titus 1:15, Proverbs 11:27, Philippians 2:5).
Let's take a closer look at a few of these:
“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” (Titus 1:15) In other words, if we are abiding in Christ, walking in Him, seeing others the way God sees them instead of the way the world does - the way we naturally tend to see others, then we will look for the good in them and that is what we will find. Those who choose not to abide in Christ and His Word, will not find the good He has for us in other people. This does not mean that we are not to be discerning about who we spend a lot of time with either. God warns us not to sit in the counsel of sinners or the ungodly (psalm 1:1 etc.) He tells us that if we choose to spend our time with the ungodly that their bad thoughts and behavior will rub off on us instead of the other way around which is the reason we generally give for hanging out with them! (1 Corinthians 15:33) Yes, we are to be kind, loving, forgiving, helpful, etc to all who we view as unsaved, ungodly, but we are not to spend a lot of time with them. The time we do spend with them should be time spent either showing them by our actions what God's love and forgiveness looks like, or telling them about God and the gospel and how they can be saved. Our close friends however should be good godly people that can encourage us and help us grow in our faith.
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16) This tells us that we're not to evaluate people according to external, human, worldly standards - in other words the way we're used to doing it. Instead we're to view them the way the Lord does. Again we know He views us with love and them as well, for it was because of His love for us when we were still His enemies, that He saved us. So once again to find out more about God's kind of love we have to look at the verses in 1 Cor 13 which I already shared.
““Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1–2) Finally, the Lord tells us not to judge another person's heart, for we can not possibly know it, as we can't even know our own hearts without His help! Luke 6:37–38 gives us a little more detail about this: ““Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”” (Luke 6:37–38) As you can see this is not telling us that we should never judge another person's behavior, we obviously must do that in order to obey the Lord's in other commands. What this is forbidding is hypocrisy and a condemning spirit, not discernment. A condemning spirit is one which looks for the bad in others, it's when we try to find fault instead of looking for good. And as the Lord says, we will find whatever we look for. Is that how we want God to view us, to look for our sins against Him? I know I sure don't! I'd much rather be forgiven and have Him "forget" my sins forever. Therefore, I must do the same for others, regardless of whether they deserve it or not, because I certainly didn't deserve to be forgiven by God either.
Lastly, how we view others should be in line with what Jesus told us was the greatest commandments: “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”” (Matthew 22:37–40) Keeping in mind that our "neighbor" is everyone we ever meet, for we cannot meet anyone that the Lord does not put in our path for a reason. This is not justifying us for loving ourselves, instead it's saying that's how we should love others, because remember, we're to place their desires and needs above our own and view them as better then ourselves.
I hope you can see how all of these scriptures link together to show us how the Lord wants us to view others and treat others. Easy? No. Natural? Not at all. Possible? Not without the Lord's help. That's how it should be for He wants us to rely on Him, not ourselves. The more we immerse ourselves in God's Word, spending time in it with Him daily, the easier it becomes to rely on Him and to see and love others the way He does, and to do things the way the Spirit calls us to. As long as we are abiding in Him, we can obey His command to love others.
Another way we tend to do this is when we meet someone, we tend to be suspicious of them, thinking they have ulterior motives, that they may want to use us, or perhaps even harm us in some way. We tend to hold back and not open our hearts to them for fear of being hurt. Then the moment they say or do something that could possibly be construed as being harmful to us, hurting our feelings or something like that, we immediately view ourselves as being justified in our thoughts about them. After that, it doesn't matter what they do or say, we won't change our minds about them because we're sure that it's all an act to get into our good graces again. Being human, sooner or later they'll do or say something else that will again cause us to say, "Ah Ha! I knew they were no good!" Sadly, we miss out on many wonderful friendships that way, not realizing that what's happening is that we're simply fulfilling our own prophecy. We expected bad, therefore we looked for it until we found it and then proclaimed ourselves right, and decided that now we would watch for their next defection for it would surely come, and of course, it did. It came because they were human and we were watching and waiting for it.
What do I mean when I say it happened because "they were human"? All humans are by nature evil. Our hearts and minds are corrupted and it's only when we are saved and abiding in Christ that we can finally experience the mind of Christ - an undefiled, uncorrupted mind. That does NOT mean that we experience His mind all the time without even trying though. It means when we seek Him and His Will through His Word daily, that His Word will little by little cleanse our hearts and minds so that we will see things clearer and clearer over time and will be able to discern good from evil through constant use of His Word and constant practice.
The one thing we tend to forget when we realize that all humans are by nature evil, is that it includes us too! We tend to forget that we can not trust our feelings, our hearts, to tell the truth. The only thing we can trust Is God and God's Word. That makes how God feels about this pretty important, don't you think? So let's see what else He says.
God tells us our attitude toward others should be one of love, as love covers all sins, just as God forgives all our sins. (1 John 3:11, 1 Peter 4:8, Matthew 6:14–15) God tells us exactly what the true definition of love really is in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7) This is how God wants us to view others - all others, both saved and unsaved. Why the unsaved? Because we can't possibly know who belongs to God and will one day become saved, but He does, so we must treat all as if they do belong to Him. Also, quite simply, because He says so and because it's how He viewed and continues to view us. We're to look for the love of God in their lives and how it's growing; or for God's mercy in their life and how it's calling them to repentance if they're unsaved, and know God loves them as much as He loves us.
We're to be kind, compassionate & not angry or bitter etc. (Ephesians 4:30–32). We're to view others as better then ourselves (Romans 12:10, Philippians 2:3). We're to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:17–18, Hebrews 12:14) as far as it depends on us. (in other words, if there's a lack of peace, it must be the other person's fault, not because of us and that doesn't mean that we're not at peace because of how they treated us!) ; We're to forget the past, not dwell on it: (Isaiah 43:18, Philippians 3:13) but instead dwell on good things (Philippians 4:8; Titus 1:15, Proverbs 11:27, Philippians 2:5).
Let's take a closer look at a few of these:
“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” (Titus 1:15) In other words, if we are abiding in Christ, walking in Him, seeing others the way God sees them instead of the way the world does - the way we naturally tend to see others, then we will look for the good in them and that is what we will find. Those who choose not to abide in Christ and His Word, will not find the good He has for us in other people. This does not mean that we are not to be discerning about who we spend a lot of time with either. God warns us not to sit in the counsel of sinners or the ungodly (psalm 1:1 etc.) He tells us that if we choose to spend our time with the ungodly that their bad thoughts and behavior will rub off on us instead of the other way around which is the reason we generally give for hanging out with them! (1 Corinthians 15:33) Yes, we are to be kind, loving, forgiving, helpful, etc to all who we view as unsaved, ungodly, but we are not to spend a lot of time with them. The time we do spend with them should be time spent either showing them by our actions what God's love and forgiveness looks like, or telling them about God and the gospel and how they can be saved. Our close friends however should be good godly people that can encourage us and help us grow in our faith.
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16) This tells us that we're not to evaluate people according to external, human, worldly standards - in other words the way we're used to doing it. Instead we're to view them the way the Lord does. Again we know He views us with love and them as well, for it was because of His love for us when we were still His enemies, that He saved us. So once again to find out more about God's kind of love we have to look at the verses in 1 Cor 13 which I already shared.
““Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1–2) Finally, the Lord tells us not to judge another person's heart, for we can not possibly know it, as we can't even know our own hearts without His help! Luke 6:37–38 gives us a little more detail about this: ““Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”” (Luke 6:37–38) As you can see this is not telling us that we should never judge another person's behavior, we obviously must do that in order to obey the Lord's in other commands. What this is forbidding is hypocrisy and a condemning spirit, not discernment. A condemning spirit is one which looks for the bad in others, it's when we try to find fault instead of looking for good. And as the Lord says, we will find whatever we look for. Is that how we want God to view us, to look for our sins against Him? I know I sure don't! I'd much rather be forgiven and have Him "forget" my sins forever. Therefore, I must do the same for others, regardless of whether they deserve it or not, because I certainly didn't deserve to be forgiven by God either.
Lastly, how we view others should be in line with what Jesus told us was the greatest commandments: “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”” (Matthew 22:37–40) Keeping in mind that our "neighbor" is everyone we ever meet, for we cannot meet anyone that the Lord does not put in our path for a reason. This is not justifying us for loving ourselves, instead it's saying that's how we should love others, because remember, we're to place their desires and needs above our own and view them as better then ourselves.
I hope you can see how all of these scriptures link together to show us how the Lord wants us to view others and treat others. Easy? No. Natural? Not at all. Possible? Not without the Lord's help. That's how it should be for He wants us to rely on Him, not ourselves. The more we immerse ourselves in God's Word, spending time in it with Him daily, the easier it becomes to rely on Him and to see and love others the way He does, and to do things the way the Spirit calls us to. As long as we are abiding in Him, we can obey His command to love others.
!!
