A thought from Jason
November 9, 2000
When your brother becomes your enemy
Anger can burn a soul. It can swell up into a madness that one can no longer control or contain. Anger can separate friends. It can break apart the strongest friendships with one blow.
When I picture my life, what I see is a road that was designed by my maker, but sometimes I have taken control. The times when I’m controlling things are when I have told God,
" I'm supposed to be mad God, can’t you see that!" I would scream at God and tell him all the reasons I should be mad. I gave Him a list a mile long about what the person had done to me.
At my outbursts, Jesus just held his head down to the ground. He winced at every remark I made. He couldn't look at me because I was so full of rage. I yelled, I kicked, I used words that only God could forgive. And when I was done with my rage and complaint against my brother, Jesus looked up and there were tears in His eyes.
I suddenly realized that I had not only hurt my brother, but I had hurt the heart of God. He didn't say anything. He just stood there with a tear streaming down his face. I stepped backwards and I thought I would run away. I thought, “I have embarrassed myself before God and I am no longer worthy to stand before Him.” But as I turned, He said my name.
He said, “My precious son, why do you live with hatred that could not have been learned from Me? Why do you live with an anger that only poisons your soul? Why do you rely so much on your ability to explain to me why you should hate your brother?”
I couldn't bear it any longer. His eyes peered into the inner depths of my heart and He found a tender spot. The spot was a memory I had as a child when I was at an Easter service with my parents. I saw the Easter play, and in it was a part where Jesus, bloody and beaten up, carried a cross down the isle of our church to the scene where he was to be crucified. I remember, as a child, that I thought I would never cry at an Easter play at church. I was wrong. I cried and wept, because My Jesus, whom I have no right to live with and talk to, still allows me to come back to him every time I hurt Him.
When Jesus walked that path He thought, “My precious child, forgive as I have forgiven. Walk with your cross, and say to your enemy this is for you, and I love you.” God wants you to know today that He wants you to forgive.
If you had a choice of giving your enemy, the person that hates you, the best seat at a banquet would you do it? Or would you leave him out in the cold?
God wants you to forgive. God wants you to forgive and when you're hurt get on your knees... yes, read that again, get on your knees and ask God to show you His mercy and His example of complete love.
When you see the cross, your anger subsides and Jesus can give you a crash course on forgiving others. He is qualified to tell you about it because He forgave you when you didn't deserve it.
Next time you get angry, think, Jesus wasn't angry at me when He died for me. He just saw my pain and walked on to Calvary. Forgive your brother or sister today, start by asking God to reveal to you what you can pray for them about. It will be hard at first but God can break any barrier.
So think about the person that made you angry today. Think about their name. Now say to yourself, “Jesus forgave them, so can I.” Get on your knees now and ask God to show you the tears and blood He shed just for you. Yes, just for you… He was satisfied with it being for you. You meant everything to Him. So now take your place at the island of forgiveness. It’s pretty lonely there and not many people come, but I’ll guarantee someone will show up. And His name is Jesus.
Luke 14:11 "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
Have a blessed day.... Jason