“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Memory Verse: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” Luke 6:31
One of the almost inevitable things we do in our ever day life is relating with people and while at it, we expect to be treated in certain ways by those individuals. At times when the outcome differs from the expectation where we are treated the way we least expect, we get offended, but if only we could actually take a minute to reflect on things we may realise that people sometimes mirror our own behaviors; treating us just like we treat them.
A few years ago while working in retail, as a young lady trying to find my fit in the employment world, I spent my early years observing and discovering. It didn’t take time before I realised managers were treated in two different ways. Some managers had loyal members of staffs because they were respected while others had staffs who feared them and delivered their roles out of fear. This had impact on the level of commitment by the staffs and results showed that managers who were respectful but firm had more loyal staffs that the others who were disrespectful and firm. Soon enough I discovered just the type of manager I wanted to become.
In the Christian body, we also have diverse individuals with a lot of personalities. We have to respond to those individuals sometimes based on their attitude and whiles it is expected to find the best set of people conveying the best attitude in a church environment, we often realise that the story differs when practically checked out. The story of Eli’s children is a practical example of how even as priest in a church, it is possible to have no knowledge of God hence it’s impossible to be shaped by the Holyspirit, 1Samuel 2:12–7.
How do you treat the things of God? How do you expect God to treat your life?
Majority of the time, we have no regard for God at all like the children of Eli and expect a different reaction from Him when we approach Him with requests. If we cannot be bothered to respect the things of God our creator and Heavenly Father, can we really treat others rightly? Let’s not forget he created all this things, it’s like saying you have no love for God but love its creation, its outright to say your love is not genuine.
When we take a good look at ourselves, do we see a Cain or an Abel? Do we see the rich man or Lazarus? Do we see a rich man or the widow with two mites Luke 21:1-4? Can we confidently say we pay attention to God and the people he has placed on our path or in our lives?
Don’t be mistaken, a million followers on Instagram and twitter doesn’t mean you are loved and just three genuine people in your life doesn’t mean you are not loved. The important thing is to have quality individuals in your life and you cannot have quality people if you ill treat others you come in contact with. If you are not one to treat people rightly just as how you will love to be treated, then you should not expect a quality relationship with God if you trivialize everything about Him.
You have a part to play in how you are treated by God and man. Life constantly test us but with the help of the Holyspirit, our behavior, attitude, speech can be pleasing to God and man.
PRAYERS:
- Father I thank you for another glorious day in the month of November
- Thank you for keeping me safe sound and joyful
- Help me from today to treat people right and not treat kingdom things with levity
- Help me to be genuine and treat others with love just as you have commanded
- Answer me speedily o Lord and send me answers when I ask, seek and knock!
- Forgive my sins o Lord and remember my iniquities no more
- Have mercy on me O Lord and receive my sacrifice of praise, IJMN, AMEN.
