2Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (KJV).
We cannot afford to lose sight of the objectives of the Kingdom. In order to maintain focus on the Kingdom, we must lose the focus on ourselves. We must remember that we are crucified with Christ; therefore, we count ourselves as dead with Him, so that He may live through us. We cannot afford to take things personally as we once did when dealing with the world. The world does not revolve around us. This is a call to humility and the eradication of self-righteousness.
1Corinthians 8:1 Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth (KJV).
Knowing what is right does not in of itself make us right. If we do not apply love to the knowledge of what is right, we put ourselves in a place of hypocrisy. Every right thing we do will be to inflate our ego as we seek to be right. We will be quick to point the finger at those who fail to live up to our so-called standards; even though, in so doing, we fail. That which is truly right, must be right in the sight of God. If we feel an urge to compare ourselves with others, which is unwise, we should compare ourselves with Jesus. If we are honest in our assessment, there will be no room for the self-righteous attitude.
One objective of the Kingdom is to win lost souls. Therefore, as ambassadors of Christ we should not hold people’s sins against them; we should be seeking to reconcile them onto the Father. Therefore, as the Father is merciful, we must be merciful. Instead of returning anger with anger, we return kindness out of the love for the Father, and extend the Kingdom to those outside the Kingdom. Instead of allowing ourselves to be offended by the words and deeds of another, we forgive and pray for them. “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28, KJV) is the order of the Day. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21, KJV).
Many wounded people are in need of healing. Because of their pain, they are angry and bitter. They need to experience the love of the Father and receive that healing. One of the ways that they will experience his love is through us. We must allow God’s love to permeate our being, and allow it to flow though us. We must be willing to look past the offense, and make ourselves available to them. Sometimes people need a listening ear coupled with a compassionate response. At times, the only available thing we can do for them is be kind to them. Face it, not everyone is going to drop their guard and let us in when they don’t know us. However, as we are kind to the unkind, doors open, seeds are planted and watered. We may never see them come to Jesus, but we must not hinder the way for them. If nothing else, we can grease the skids by being a blessing to them. Remember, the kindness of God leads us to repentance.
