KEY. SCRIPTURE: Heb 12:3 KJV” For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

Our key scripture is clear that the Lord Jesus endured the contradiction of sinners and never grew weary in His heart. Please note that our Lord Jesus functioned fully as a man so that He could be qualified to be our saviour. This means He endured all the negative, disheartening behaviours of men as a man. Consider His reaction to humanity as He hung on the cross. In the midst of the pain, disgrace and the sins of the whole world, He said Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing. How was He so successful in handling all the negativity of those who related with Him?

The Lord knew He was here to teach men God’s pattern for living. He said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.’He was here on a mission. This is the will of God. He had to demonstrate true love to all men. Expressing love through long-suffering. This is God’s demand from everyone who is a child of God. Col 3:13 KJV” Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”Many children of God do not realise that they have been sent into the world to be a blessing to others and to teach them what is right. Every Christian is a light to those who have not been saved. It is a very big error for any child of God to react to people according to how those people behave towards them. We are lights and examples to other men, and so we do not respond to them according to how they behave towards us but according to what God’s word tells us to do.

Some homes are continually boiling with strife and pain because husbands are reacting to their wives’ behaviour. Wives have likewise reacted towards their husbands according to how they behave towards them. The result is discouragement in each other. It is worse when one of them is an unbeliever, which the Christian partner should have demonstrated true Christian character to win him or her. Please note that any form of discouragement in another person is a failure on your part if you are indeed a child of God. Remember, love never fails. To fail in your love for anyone is a sign that you are functioning in the flesh.

Check yourself if you are discouraged in anyone (To be discouraged in anyone is to give up on that individual). Discouragement in a neighbour would cause you to be easily annoyed with that person. Secondly, you would easily lose your joy in the presence of that individual. Lastly, you may be tempted to inflict some pain on that person or may want to get the person out of your life. All these are signs of weakness in your character. You are always a loser to allow discouragement to enter your heart. Please note that it is very normal to be disappointed in certain individuals, but it is an error to give up on the person( discouraged)( to be disappointed is when one’s action fails to meet your expectation, which is normal)

THOUGHT: IT IS NORMAL TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN PEOPLE, BUT IT IS AN ERROR TO BE DISCOURAGED WITH THEM.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Corinthians 13:4,7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

Eph 4:31-32 KJV” Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”