Reactions Have Consequences
Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice… Proverbs 24-17
As I watched people’s responses to this last election, I could not help but witness such a sharp contrast. Many who were disappointed took to social media in what could only be described as complete meltdowns. Often, we witnessed people having yelling sessions and fits of actual rage.
My overall reaction to this left me with a sense that most of these people did not know God. You can tell a lot about who people are by watching the way they respond to life’s circumstances. You will know whether an inner peace is at their core and in my opinion cannot be there apart from being connected to the One and only true source of peace.
So, what should be the proper response to this same election result if you are truly a follower of Jesus? I want to suggest that, win or lose, it should be the same. Peace! That can only happen when you are so connected to the Author of peace that fear and anxiety are gone. Now here is the part I am not sure I like—I am guilty of enjoying the angry and dysfunctional reaction of others and find myself gloating.
May I suggest that my reaction, in the eyes of our Lord, is perhaps more destructive than theirs’. If you do not have the Lord at the center of your life, then human fear will always dictate—these people are simply responding out of who they are and what they perceive. It is driven fear. The Bible teaches us that perfect love casts out fear—what these people need is love and where are they going to experience it if not from those of us that know our Lord?
Perhaps the best newsworthy event that recently happened might illuminate this idea. A well-known news anchor went on the air in prime time and suggested that those people who were angry at losing the election should not invite anyone who voted the other way over to their home for Thanksgiving. I am sorry, but I cannot think of anything more anti-God, sick and pathetic than that. Look at what we have become.
What should have been suggested is the exact opposite and should be loudly proclaimed by every Christian and every church. This is the time for us to examine where we have made mistakes, adjust our attitude and become the example of Christ the world so desperately needs to see. We must not be seen as gloaters but rather as people who are kind, tender and forgiving.
I cannot tell you how many times I have blown it with my improper reactions. Often my wife, Cindy, must remind me that it is not what you are saying so much as how you are saying it. I can be self-righteous and maybe even right—but that does not make me a hero. Dear one, this is a very important idea right now for all of us who are a part of Jesus’ church. We are standing at the precipice of what might be a powerful revival in our land…or a continuation of our moral and spiritual decay.
As a Christian we need only study how our incredible Lord modeled this for us. No matter what He experienced He never lost His cool—always kind and tenderhearted toward people—even those who were violently against Him.
The Apostle Paul before his incredible conversion, was an angry, in-your-face persecutor of the Christians. Yet we can see what His encounter displayed, as He expressed it in Ephesians 4:32, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Paul was simply reminding us to do what he experienced Jesus did for him.
Ask this question; if Jesus were here today observing these people who are so angry and upset, what would His response to them look like? Then take the test—how do your attitude and actions stack up to His standard?
I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts and a challenge. If you are a pastor or ministry leader, aggressively pursue ways to encourage and coach your people in extending love and grace to outsiders—the people who often dislike us. Teach them how to reach out in love.
If you are a follower of Jesus challenge yourself to be a heat seeking missile on the lookout for the very people who are against everything you stand for and reach out to them—invite them to meet with you for coffee or a meal with no agenda other than to get to know them and love on them. Trust me, none of us have what it takes to turn people around—but Jesus does! He is not looking for your ability—He is looking for your obedience and compassion.
Some verses to meditate on:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
Galatians 5:22
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
1 Corinthians 13:4
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28
A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:4
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.
Proverbs 12:25
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Luke 6:35
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Advancing God’s Kingdom