Casseroles with Characters!
As we gather with family, friends, and colleagues over the holidays, all of us sit at the table with difficult people. Don’t just show up and do the same ole, same ole. Put a plan together on how you will choose to respond to those opportunities. Practice your reaction before you ever get there. By doing so, your not so much as reacting, but your acting. Your action will determine the direction of your dinner. What would your response be if God was in control?
ASK: How do we know how God would respond to these characters?
ANSWER: That’s a two-fold answer. We have the Word of God, and Holy Spirit. We can look at the life of Christ and see how He responded to very difficult people.
Don't Miss This Point!
READ Ephesians 6:12 People are gonna people. That never changes. But the way we respond certainly can change. But check this out: You are not struggling with your parents, or your spouse, or your siblings, or even your 1st cousin twice removed, but rather we are at war against the enemy is looking to steal, kill, and destroy each of us and the people that we love. Let’s remember that when we set out to destroy or defeat those that we love and understand that we are really at war against Satan and all his friends.
Another Great Point!
READ James 1:19 This requires practice. You have to pre-decide that you are going to be slow to speak. Anytime we get in the heat of the moment without first pre-deciding how we will respond, we are susceptible to responding quickly and becoming angry. By listening, we are trying to understand their perspective instead of responding with ours. By being slow to speak, we don’t say things that we later regret. By being slow to anger, we avoid making it a Christmas that no one will ever forget. Let’s practice.
One Last Point!
READ Romans 12:21 Don’t give any attention to the strife, drama, or pure evil that you are faced with. Rise above it. Consider these two different birds: Eagles and chickens. You can be like the chicken that spends it’s life pecking and looking down in the dirt. Or you can be like the eagle, who soars above all that mess. Go ahead and show others the right way to respond. You have the Word and the Spirit as your guide to overcoming!
Let's Be Doers!
EVALUATE Who are those difficult people that you will encounter at Christmas? Do you have a goal of enjoying your time with those people? If the answer is no, why not? What if you showed up to dinner with the goal of fellowship? Make it a priority, right now, to write down the things that others that you know will do that causes you to respond in a way that doesn’t represent the Lord well. Take your list and write down your
response if God was in control.
Remember you have the Word and the Spirit to guide you. God is always with you
