Living in a world full of selfishness and sin creates many opportunities for hostility towards others to develop. People can’t get along with others and create a wall of separation between them and others. If we are going to have an authentic walk with the Lord, we need to identify and address the walls of hostility in our lives.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Hebrews 12:3
The scripture reminds us that Jesus endured hostility from those who opposed Him. The people of His day had many religious opinions and self-conceived ideas that created a wall of hostility against Him, and they consequently shunned Jesus. Jesus was perfect and did not deserve any of the unjust treatment, yet He did not grow weary or get discouraged in His soul. He continued to do the will of His Father and fulfilling His purpose.
It is easy to get offended when people don’t respect us or value us. Our flesh is compelled to hold offenses against those who do not appreciate our efforts or our kindness. It is also natural to get angry with those who misjudge us and falsely accuse us. Our carnal nature is very susceptible to hostility. We get offended, angry, and hurt. Then, in turn, we offend and hurt others by our behavior. If we feel rejected by others, then we reject them and withdraw our attention and love from them.
Jesus set the example by remaining constant and consistent in His heart and in His actions towards humanity. He did not give up on us, and neither did He give up on saving us from our condition.
People erect walls of hostility in order to protect themselves from getting hurt again not realizing that they are closing off their hearts towards others. How do we know if we have a wall of hostility between us and others!? We should start by asking the Lord to show us if we have hostility towards anyone or any group. We also need to pay attention to our thoughts when certain people come to our minds. When we think of them, do we have thoughts of hostility, anger, or hurt? Or do we have loving, noble, kind thoughts towards them? Our thoughts and emotions are good indicators of whether we have hostility towards others.
If we have hostility towards anyone, we need to address the issue by following Jesus’ example of forgiveness. He was merciful towards those who did not deserve mercy. His heart was still towards humanity and His desire was to see them forgiven. Jesus did not allow other people’s bad behavior to trap Him or cause Him to sin. If believers work on their walls of hostility, we can offer hope to the world!
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
Image by Steven Weirather from Pixabay
This is a great read! Well done Karline!
Praise God! Thanks Larry. I appreciate the kind words and the encouragement.