9 Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor; 11 never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord;
Romans 12:9 – 11
What drives your passion when reaching out to, or correcting those around you?
I ask this question because not many give their actions and reactions real thought when doing this. They might say something like: “because God commands it so” or “because it is wrong what they are doing and someone needs to correct them” and of course many other responses.
How vital it is for us to consider the reason we are reaching out, because if our motive in doing so is off then we will inevitably do more damage than actual good.
As our scripture suggests right off the bat, our response is to be driven by sincere love, hating what is evil, especially in the lives of those Satan is busy oppressing. But how you come across when trying to help is important. In our zeal to see those around us set free, we might just be too passionate that we lose control of our emotional response.
I have seen this all too often, even in my own life. When the desire to see that person come to realise all the Lord has done for them, we come across just a little too strong. In the end this does nothing for their situation.
Yes, we are to be driven by our passion to see men and women set free from all that holds them captive, but our response and how we come across is equally as important.
Sometimes our passion (our drive) doesn’t always stem out of or align itself from a place of love – a love for the individual, that is. One might find that our passion is to see a personal victory for our ourselves, irrespective of how it affects the individual. When our drive comes from this place, that is when we aren’t doing what the Lord has really called us to do.
This doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing for fear of hurting those around us, rather it means we need to become more mindful about what drives us and how that drive gets displayed when talking to that person.
Trust me when I say that I know how deeply frustrating it can be when one sees an individual who is caught in the trap of the enemy failing to see and understand what you are trying to help them comprehend. Sometimes they make you feel like you are the enemy in the situation, when the real enemy is sitting back laughing at our attempts to reach out.
Be mindful of your response, let your passion be driven by love as found in 1 Corinthians 13 (patient, kind, gentle…) In time a change will take place.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father. I know that in my passion to see those around me come to know You and Your ways, I might come across a bit strong. Let Your sincere love drive me as I reach out to those I wish to see set free for Your name’s sake. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.