As believers in Christ, when dealing with adverse situations such as persecutions, anger, deception, nasty attitudes, etc, we must rely on grace to give us the strength to walk in love no matter how badly someone may be behaving toward us. Yes, it would feel so, so good to be in the flesh, just this one time LORD, go upside someone’s head and show them we were never the jellyfish they THINK we are today! (Lol) or point that one finger out and show them how a real sailor can cuss! But… that’s not God. He surely won’t get the glory from that. 

It is never about how we feel. It is never about our emotions. So in humility that God gets all the Glory and we are pleasing to Him, we decrease that He may increase. …In other words, we SAT DOWN and take several seats! (Lol) So that grace can do in us, what we are not able to do in our own strength. 

This also applies in circumstances, when dealing with our children. However, for them there is something a little extra to walk in besides love. It is called ‘tough love’. We love our children, but at times, love by itself is not enough. Sometimes, it is very necessary to use tough love in order for our children to wake up and get on the right track. 

When we decrease, what does feel good, is to experience the love of Christ at work, not only through us, but within the circumstance we are in. Through grace, God’s love takes over everything. The word tells us, “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink.” (Proverbs 26:21) Sometimes in situations, dealing with really nasty mean people, the flesh wants to lead and not feed them nothing and think about maybe surprising them with something really nasty tasting to drink, instead of water (Lol). However, in Proverbs 26:22 it continues, “For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.” So in my understanding of these scriptures, no matter how badly someone is behaving, if we continue to show them the love of Christ, treating them the total opposite of how they are towards us, eventually God‘s love changes the atmosphere; having them to stop and think about their actions wondering, “How are they able to be so kind and loving toward me- even when I have behaved so badly towards them?”  Eventually, a persons’ heart softens. An atmosphere that was filled with adversity changes and becomes an atmosphere of friendship and kindness. Now, how long this may take, may depend upon the person. God might have a lot of work to do in that person. That’s why, as believers, we rely on GRACE to get it done and not ourselves! Lol… Through the grace of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, we are empowered to walk in love- not our love, but His Love- the love of Christ. Grace is not only unmerited favor, it is also strength and the power of God for success in every situation a believer encounters.

Yvonne M. Bennett