Jesus taught its easy to
know who belongs to him, its by the fruit of their lives. (Matthew 7:
15-16). The good fruit of someone’s life is produced by faith that
reveals itself in love. This love is a godly love which places the
needs of another before his or her own.
The primary destroyer of
relationships is unforgiveness. When we become offended by someone's
action towards us, we are commanded to forgive them. “How can we
say we love God, but hate a Christian brother or sister” (1 John
4:20). Forgiveness is a supernatural ability. It actually proves that
we have passed from death to life. The sinful heart wants revenge,
but the redeemed heart wants unity.
Jesus taught, “Stop
judging others and you will not be judged. For others will treat you,
as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, will
be used to measure how you are judged” (Matthew 7: 1-2 NLT).
Gossip and jealousy are
the silent destroyers. These two sins go hand in hand,
because jealousy spurs gossip. When someone uses their gifts, doing
what God has called them to do and someone wants that gifting for
themselves, that is called jealousy. When jealousy is in full bloom,
gossip and backstabbing result. Instead of encouraging and praying
for increased success for the fellow servant, they feel obligated to
either verbally dismantle the success or take a non-supportive
stance. Both jealousy and gossip are predatory sins which have no
place in the fellowship of believers.
We are responsible to the
Lord to support other believers by stopping gossip, avoid jealousy
and exercise forgiveness. Paul said, “Dear brothers and sisters, if
another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should
gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be
careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.” (Galatians
6:1). We are not called to judge, but love others enough to guide
them back by the love you show them.
We must “Share each
others troubles and problems and in this way obey the law of Christ.
If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are
only fooling yourself. You are really nobody” (Ephesians 6: 2-3
NLT).
Living in a world where
relationships are disposable, people seek only the good of themselves
and show little respect for the Word of God, we need to be mindful of
our actions and attitudes toward others. Honoring God begins with
choosing to live rightly according to the love of Christ.
