Food for the soul

I received this devotional thought from Roger Heath today. It is very healthy and edifying for the body. I thought I would share it.

 

I think I have the gift of criticism!

 

Sorry the title was just a lure to grab your attention.  So what about you, do you think you have the gift of criticism?  Maybe you're the kind of person gifted to see the flaws in others.  Maybe that's not a bad thing!  The question is what are you compelled to do with your "gifted eyes to criticize."  Maybe you're a bold personality that marches right up to someone and tells them how it is.  You think "somebody has to or they will never know."  Or maybe you're the kind of person that tells another person what your gifted eyes have seen, "to be sure other people see what I see."  So what are you compelled to do?  Let's look at a familiar verse:

 

1 Samuel 12:23 "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:"

 

A very familiar verse we find in the sixth lesson of discipleship.  A powerful verse about prayer; Samuel takes it as a sin against the LORD to not pray for others.  Wow!  But I would like to turn your attention to the latter part of the verse but I will teach you the good and the right way.  Could it be that prayer comes before teaching?  Could it be that our "gifted eyes to criticize" can be used in a good way?  Prayer breads Passion and Participation.  That is the simple point of this devotion.  Samuel knew he needed to pray for the children of Israel and then God would open the door to teach.  Sometimes we notice the flaws in others and they agitate us because of how they affect US, but too compassionately care for another to the point of what you SEE makes you pray, is love.  This is when our concern is not how the problem affects us but we sincerely desire the betterment and growth of others, we see how the problem affects THEM and it grieves our spirit.  Our natural tendency is to watch and judge, but those two words are not mentioned together in God's Word, instead we have watch and pray (Matt 26:41; Mark 13:33, 14:38; Luke 21:36).  We as a church have been commissioned by God to reach the world and the only way to do so is unification.  What better way to unify us then to fulfill Phil 2:1-4

 

"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

 

What do you think our purpose for looking on the things of others is?  "Why to judge and gossip of course," NO to pray for them in humility "considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."  My wife said she learned a valuable lesson in our marriage a few years back, when she noticed I was doing something bull-headed she didn't run to me and tell me I was an idiot (bull-headed idiots are hard to convince that they are bull-headed idiots), she instead began to pray for me and look for an open receptive door to talk to me.  She stopped looking at how my bull-headedness just affected her and started to pray for my betterment and God opened doors to deal with the issues.  It needs to get past US and be about THEM!  Prayer first attitude also keeps your heart clean because if you don't care enough to pray then you probably really don't care or if your conscience won't allow you to offer it up to God in prayer maybe the problem isn't the other person.  The bottom line is if we are going to reach the community and the world we have to compassionately love each other right here at home.

 

John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

 

Of all that was said this is the sum - Prayer breads Passion and Participation so Watch and Pray!

 

A challenge - The next time you notice someone has a problem, bathe it in prayer and tell no one until God opens the door.  (P.S. It sounds hard to me but I will try