Lately I've been feeling conflicted. I know who God has called me to be. I know what He’s called me to do. But, if I can be honest, following Christ while living in this broken world isn’t easy. As a Christian, what should I do as I see the injustice in this world? What should I say when I am hurt or when someone close to me is heartbroken? Because the God in me wants to see justice. The God in me hates the sight of someone being wronged. But at the same time, God calls me to walk in love regardless of what I may encounter. And it’s been a little hard for me to wrap my mind around this concept lately.
Our role as Christians is always love.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48 NLT)
When we are hurt by someone, our answer should always be love. When we see someone close to us being hurt, our answer should always be love. Why? Because we are children of the Most High God. We are His hands and feet on the earth. When people see us, they should see Him. So, the question is what do people see when they look at our lives?
Do they see the footprint of a God that loves unconditionally? Or do they see the footprint of a God that’s angry easily? Do they see the evidence of the good work that He’s done in our lives? Or do our lives lack the evidence that He exists?
Our answers to these questions make the difference. They’re the difference between leading someone to Christ and causing someone to want nothing to do with Him. Yes…the weight of this responsibility is heavy, but that’s just how important we are.
So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT)
As ambassadors of Christ, our behavior absolutely matters.
Our response to adversity matters. Our actions in the face of injustice matters. Not just out in the world…but in our homes, and with those closest to us.
What do we do when we are challenged by the ones that we love? What happens when our children challenge us? What happens when our spouse challenges us? Because we are most definitely the biggest reflection of Christ in their lives. So, when they see us, are they seeing a loving and merciful God? Or are they seeing a judgemental and unforgiving God?
We are ambassadors of Christ in our homes first.
This is so important for us to understand. Yes, we are ambassadors of Christ in the world, but this responsibility begins in our homes. I can’t tell you the number of stories I’ve heard from people that are distant from God because of their relationship with their parents. It’s unfortunate, but it makes sense. How can we expect our children to run to the arms of the Father if they have no idea what that feels like? How can we expect them to follow Christ when they don’t even want to follow us?
There is more at stake than we know.
For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you? (1 Corinthians 7:14-16 NLT)
When my husband and I were separated, I clung to this scripture. I felt that if there was any chance that my family and my husband might be saved…I would fight. And that is exactly what I did. I prayed for my husband even when he turned his back on me. I loved him even when he didn’t deserve it. Why? Because I knew what was at stake. I wasn’t just fighting for our marriage, I was fighting so that he might be saved…I was fighting so that our children might be saved. And the Lord came through in a mighty way for us. Not only did He save my marriage, but my husband is a man of God. He leads our family in the truth of God’s word, and myself and my children are blessed because of it. All three of our children love Jesus, and they can’t get enough of His word. We do family bible studies, not because we force them to, but because they have a desire to experience more of Him. It is truly a blessing to watch my oldest as he walks around the house listening to the word of God. And when I step back and look at all that He has done, I am astonished.
My sacrifice was worth it, and your sacrifice will be worth it.
This life of faith, this life of loving in the midst of adversity is absolutely a sacrifice, but it is well worth it. It will be worth it when you see how much of an impact your life has on someone else’s. It will be worth it when you witness their salvation and the change in their hearts. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy.
If we want to love in the midst of adversity we must live in the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22-26 NKJV)
The Spirit enables us to love when we feel unloved. He enables us to choose peace with those that seek to harm us…to live in joy when all we want to do is be angry. We can not live this life without Him, and we cannot win this fight without Him on our side.
If we want to love in the midst of adversity we must fight in the Spirit.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 NLT)
This is so important for us to remember, as we face challenges in life. Our battle is in the spiritual realm, not the physical realm. We should not be focusing on the person that hurt us. We should be focusing on the spirit behind the person that hurt us.
When I was fighting for my marriage, I had to remind myself that I wasn’t fighting my husband. I was fighting the spirit behind him. And this is an important distinction. When I tried to fight my battle in the physical realm, the situation always got worse. We argued, we said things that hurt each other, and we grew further apart. But when I fought in the spiritual realm (praying in the Spirit, binding and loosing) the situation always improved. We were more understanding towards each other and our relationship strengthened.
Why?
Because when we fight in the physical realm, we are alone. But when we fight in the spiritual realm, we have all of heaven on our side.
“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18 NKJV)
These last few weeks have reminded me just how much I need the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I need Him to lead me, I need Him to strengthen me, and I need Him to enable me to love in the midst of adversity. I can’t do this alone, and I know you can’t either. So today, ask for His help. Ask Him to give you the strength to stand in love, even when others may have hurt you. Ask Him to guide your steps, when you have no idea how to move forward. Ask Him to lead you in the path that He has for you..the path of peace, the path of love, and the path of joy. It doesn’t matter what you’re facing, He will enable you to be who He’s called you to be…even in the midst of adversity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me of who I am and my importance on this earth. I am a child of God, and I am an ambassador of Christ. Therefore, I am not here to represent myself, but I am here to represent you…as your light, and as the evidence that you exist on this earth. So today, I am making the decision to pursue who you have called me to be. With your help, I will pursue love. With your help, I will pursue peace. And with your help, I will pursue joy…so that I can magnify you, Father. You are everything to me, and my desire is to share your love with everyone you place in my path. I need you. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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