Are You Passing This Test Right Now?
Gary Keesee • March 28, 2020
GARY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THE GUY OBVIOUSLY ISN’T BORN AGAIN! YOU’RE A PASTOR!
When was the last time you were offended?
Today?
Yesterday?
We have the potential to pick up an offense every single day our lives.
We can get offended by something we heard on the news.
We can get offended by family members (especially when we’re supposed to stay in our houses with them for very long periods of time).
We can get offended by another driver on the road or in a parking lot.
We can get offended by people at the grocery store who don’t want to move their carts out of the way, or who are taking too many packages of toilet paper, or all of the frozen chicken packages...
Or the customer service rep on the telephone at the bank or the cable company, or…
See how long the list can get?
That’s because the enemy will do whatever he can to try to pull us out of love and out of peace.
And none of us are exempt. Not even pastors.
That Time I Took the Bait
Many, many years ago, after I first began to pastor, I let the enemy pull me out of love.
I was backing out of a driveway and I saw a bicyclist coming down the hill in the distance. But apparently, he was closer than he appeared, or going faster than I estimated, because when I backed out there he was.
And he was angry.
I hadn’t hit him, but he decided he was going to hit me.
He took his bike and kept beating it against my van and using words that weren’t appropriate and showing me his finger puppets.
So, I did what a lot of people would do.
And I thought I’d teach that guy a lesson.
The devil will set you up. It’s up to you whether you take the bait.
I took the bait.
I made a little plan to ambush the guy. I backed into another driveway down the road and waited for him. Then, I did something my wife can tell you that I’ve never really done in all the years we’ve been married—I rolled down the window and spoke his language for a few minutes.
Then, I hit the gas and grazed his bicycle.
I was so proud of myself.
For about thirty seconds.
Until I heard God YELL in my spirit, GARY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THE GUY OBVIOUSLY ISN’T BORN AGAIN! YOU’RE A PASTOR!
I had blown it.
Yes, then I tried to find the guy. Yes, I felt terribly guilty. But I also know I had felt justified when I was in the middle of it.
And that’s how most of us are, because we’ve all been trained in selfishness, not love.
God is Love
2 Corinthians 5 says we are Christ’s ambassadors. We represent the government of God, and GOD IS LOVE.
So, if we step out of that—out of love—it’s exactly the same thing as committing adultery or murder as far as the Kingdom of God is concerned.
See, Satan doesn’t have to tempt you to murder someone or steal something. His job is much easier than that—he just has to tempt you to come outside of love and he’s succeeded at getting you to step outside of God’s legal jurisdiction.
That’s why love is a decision made one moment at a time.
It’s not about how you feel or your emotions; it’s about making the decision to walk in love instead of allowing yourself to be lured into offense.
Because Satan will continue to use people, and he’ll keep trying every day all day.
He’ll keep setting up schemes and people to try to pull you out of love, especially right now when so many other things are going on around you.
AND HE’LL TRY TO USE YOU TO OFFEND OTHERS, TOO.
Offense is one of the enemy's greatest missions—he even tried it with Jesus.
But Jesus passed the test.
In the midst of the greatest betrayal, Jesus still taught love and forgiveness, and gave Himself for it. He didn't take any of the bait.
What about you? Would you take the bait? Would you pass the love test, especially right now?
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