When Love Grows Cold
by John Bevere
“And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone,
able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct,
in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge
of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap
of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
Anyone who has trapped animals knows that a trap needs two things to be successful. It must be hidden in the hope that an animal will stumble upon it, and it must be baited to lure the animal into the trap’s deadly jaws.
Satan, the enemy of our souls, incorporates both of these strategies as he lays out his most deceptive and deadly traps. They are both hidden and baited. Along with his cohorts, Satan is subtle, cunning and crafty in his operation. He delights in deception.
One of his most insidious kinds of baits is something every Christian has encountered -- offense. If we pick it up, consume it and feed on it in our hearts, we will produce much fruit, such as hurt, anger, outrage, jealousy, envy, resentment, and strife.
The enemy can keep a person in an offended state by cloaking it with pride. Pride helps us view ourselves as victims and hold back forgiveness because we believe we were mistreated. We blame others and attempt to remove a speck from our brother’s eye when there is a log in ours.
Offended people may even find Scripture passages to back their position, but the knowledge of God’s Word without love is a destructive force. It puffs us up with pride and legalism (1 Cor. 8:1-3). When our hearts harden with pride and we hold on to offense, we can become resistant to God. We justify ourselves and create an atmosphere in which we can be deceived.
Hebrews 3:13 states that hearts are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. If we do not deal with an offense, it will produce more fruit of sin. This reduces or removes tenderness, creating a loss of sensitivity, which hinders our ability to hear God’s voice. Then our love for Him, and for others, grows cold.
Consider Jesus’ sinless response when he was wronged. We are admonished to follow His steps.
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:21-23)
This Week
It is my prayer that you will allow God to enlighten your eyes and your understanding about your true condition. If you have taken the bait of offense, don’t let pride keep you from seeing the damage to your heart and keep your from repenting.
Prayer
“Jesus, I see how serious the sin of offense is and I don’t want my love to grow cold. I acknowledge my inability to forgive people that have hurt me apart from You . Therefore, I choose to forgive, and I release those I feel have wronged me. They no longer owe me anything. I remit their sins against me. I ask that you bless them and lead them into a closer relationship with You."
