Only God who made us can touch us and change us and save us from ourselves. Billy Graham

Hurting Others

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
Luke 17:1-5

An important key to having a close relationship with the Lord is to be completely honest before God and one another. There is no point in hiding behind masks of pride and self righteousness when our Creator can see into our hearts and minds, knowing our every thought and motive. He desires truth and sincerity amongst His children and as we submit to the gentle leading of His Holy Spirit, a unity that is born of His love will bring healing to those who are hurting.

 

Jesus said that it is inevitable that offenses come and condemned those who caused another to stumble in their walk or fall away in their faith. However, if we have been offended or hurt, we also need to know that the love of God can heal our wounds and give us a heart of forgiveness, restoring the unity that is needed in the body of Christ.

 

If we look back at our own lives and see how far we have come through the grace of God, we can appreciate the magnitude of His grace and forgiveness. There will have been countless times when we have fallen short of His standards and yet His loving arms are still held out towards us, wanting to embrace us in His mercy and love.
As His forgiveness washes away our hurts, may we learn to reach out and minister the Holy Spirit’s healing to others who are wounded.
If a person has an accident, the first priority is to seek medical treatment. The wounds are cleaned and bandaged but the person will still be in pain. It is only with the passing of time that the wounds heal and the pain disappears. Likewise, when a person is emotionally wounded, they will suffer inner pain but it is only God that has the power to heal broken hearts and wounded spirits.
Today, give all your hurts to the Lord. Do not hold them in your heart but release them so that the peace of God will flow into your heart.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day. Give us Your wisdom so that we do not cause offense to others but help us to be ministers of Your peace, bringing restoration to those who are hurting. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju