Staying Un-Offended; Part 1

“And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.” Matthew 11:6. Jesus said this powerful statement to the disciples of John the Baptist. John was in prison and had only been hearing the reports of the deeds of Jesus; not His teachings. As a result, John had become discouraged and confused about the identity of Jesus and even his own, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Basically John was asking, “Are you who I thought you were, or are you who I thought I was?” That is called confused. So, he sent his disciples to Jesus to hear first hand.

 First question: What were the John’s disciples still hanging around John for? John had clearly pointed his followers to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29-36). There is a hint that maybe the followers of John were upset over the condition of their Rabbi, John. In fact, as you look at the other Scriptures referring to John’s disciples you notice a progression of offense; Matthew 9:14-17, the question about fasting, and John 3:25-36, the question about why John was losing followers and Jesus was gaining followers. This is an indication that John’s disciples had been offended.

People get offended for various reasons; a close friend or family member gets hurt by someone, unmet expectations, refusing to forgive, but mostly an immature spirit (a cry baby, today known as a meltdown-kid). The problem with being offended is that it spreads, distorts, pollutes, and it probably the number one reason we do not experience revival in our nation. The church in the US is a big cry baby! Mad because it is not getting what it wants, when it wants, the way it wants, with convenience and ease. Staying offended prevents maturity.

Second question: I wonder if the disciples of John expected their Rabbi to be treated better by God? Maybe to them it seemed as though it was not fair. John had been faithful. John had been popular. What happened? Unmet expectations are a major cause of being offended. God had done what they expected. They were offended by God.

Another symptom of being offended is blaming others for your being offended, even blaming God. Blaming others is what small children do, cry babies (my dad had another name for being a cry baby that I have decided not to print; some of you probably know that other name for cry-baby!). But when I find myself in an offended state it is only because I have chosen to be offended. The choice not to chose is made by default most of the time. Refusing to chose is a choice and the default choice will always lead to sin.

Confusion about what is known and what is not yet known is another condition that leads to being offended. One indicator of maturity is the acceptance of the truth that God is at work in all things that happen to you, working them together for good in you, to form Christ in you for His own glory! This means that nothing comes to you until the Father approves it. God does not cause all things, He uses all things to form Christ in you. For a child of God, everything is a stewardship from God that we will give an account for. Impatience rather than perseverance is another mark of immaturity. Refusing to wait upon God and refusing to accept the fact that you do not have all the information yet leaves you vulnerable to being offended.

If you are in an offended state right now, grow up you big cry-baby! It is your own fault. Take responsibility for it and repent. You are hindering the growth that God wants to give you. You cannot give yourself growth but you sure can keep yourself from growing.

In a few days, more on this subject, like, how you can grow up and how to tell the difference between grief, pain, and offense. And what to do about this offensive culture we live in so that it does not get inside you and cause you to be offended. Until then, pray giving everything to God, your offense, your pain, your grief, your unmet expectations, your friend that is hurt by someone, everything that seems unjust to you…give it all to God. “Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22.

Blessed Like a Tree

Psalm 1 and 2 are both the introduction to the book of Psalms as well as the conclusion. They combine to reveal the outcome of a person who allows God’s Word to shape their prayers and life.

Psalm 1 begins with the phrase, “Blessed is the man who…”  The first thing about the blessed man is seen what he has said “no” to. He has seen that a person cannot serve God and the world; the two are opposites. The ways of God are not the ways of man.

The ways of man are seen in the downward progression of first listening, “…does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly,” then in keeping company with, “…nor stands in the way of sinners,” then in sharing the influence that has been received and reinforced by that company, “nor sits in the seat of the scoffers.” That way has been rejected by the blessed man because God’s way has been chosen.

God’s way begins with His Word. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  The delight he has developed in God’s Word is the result of meditating on it. At first God’s Word seems hard to understand. Understanding does not come from more and more study, it comes from the Holy Spirit. He and He alone reveals the truth and delight of His Word. Meditation on the Word means asking the Holy Spirit over and over, as the Word is mulled on over and over, for light and meaning.

The Hebrew word for “delight” is hapes (pronounced hop-is) and means to feel great favor and pleasure in something because of its intrinsic qualities. It is mostly used in the Old Testament of God and the “delight” He has for various things. For example in 1 Samuel 15:22 when Samuel told Saul that God has greater delight in obedience than in sacrifice. This means that the delight you develop for God’s Word actually comes from His Holy Spirit in you. He delights in His own Word and shares that delight with you!

The blessed man is described “…like a tree, planted by the steams of water,” A tree that is planted by the steams of water speaks of intentional planting. God plants us in His Word. His will is that we stay in His Word with the Holy Spirit teaching us all the days of our lives.

When you stay in the Word, the Word grows in you and, like a tree, produces leaves and fruit. Leaves and fruit are the only two things a tree produces. Without leaves and fruit a tree is just firewood.

 The first one is “…that yields fruit in its season,” The fruit that the Word produces is the glory of God. God designed our lives to glorify Him and Him alone. The way that He designed this to take place is by being planted in His Word. His will and ways have not changed since the beginning. Every occasion and situation in life is another opportunity for the glorious light of God’s characteristics to shine forth from your life, if you are planted in His Word. Whether it is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…it all reveals God’s glory.

The other thing is tree produces is leaves. The promise of God for the blessed man is “…and its leaf does not wither,” So, what are the leaves of our lives in Christ? There are two references to the leaves of the Tree of Life, Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:1-2. The Ezekiel reference describes the Tree of Life during the Millennium (the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth following the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 20:1-6), while the Revelation reference describes the Tree of Life in the New Heaven and Earth following the Great While Throne judgment.

In both passages it describes the purpose of the leaves as healing for the nations. One thing we all know about the shade of a tree; it is refreshing. To sit under the shade of a great tree is restful whether there is a hammock involved or not!

The promise of God for the blessed man is that his life will always be an invitation to others for them to enjoy the rest and refreshment of God in his life. There is something about just being around someone who is planted in the Word. It is refreshing just to be near and to listen to someone like that.

Psalm 1 sums up the blessed man by saying “…in all that he does, he prospers.” The Hebrew word “prospers” is tsalock (pronounced tsa-lock), which means to complete, to triumph, to be strong, to overcome. It does not mean that you will have an abundance of things; this is the “American” definition of prosperity. Prosperity in the Bible is more related to being faithful than the accumulation of things or having it easy. Being prosperous, according to God’s definition, means that you will rise above every circumstance in your life with God-honoring and Christ-exalting glory!

Be sure that you stay in God’s Word, meditating in it, growing by it, and being fully aware of God’s beautiful purposes being carried through to fullness by it. You will be blessed just like God designed from the very beginning.