Take Offense Or Take It In Stride
Has God ever offended you? Has he ever caused you to question why he would choose to do something a certain way? Have you struggled to hold on to your faith because of what God did or did not do in your life?
In order to be offended by someone I think you first have to have expectations of them or the situation. God asks us to believe in faith that what we ask will happen but there are those times when the answer is still no, not yet, or just a general negative. No explanation. Just a “no” the size of Texas in the face of cancer, bankruptcy, loss, pain, death, or your greatest fear.
I was reading (in my Beth Moore study) about John the Baptist in Matthew 11. It is when he is in prison awaiting his execution and he sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus a question. John wanted to know if Jesus really was the one God sent for him to precede. I think John’s real question might have been, “Is there a chance that I misunderstood that you were the Messiah? Cuz, if I did then I know I won’t get my head chopped off.”
John spent his whole life focused on preparing people for the Messiah to come. He devoted himself to God’s will, even beyond expectations. In so many words, Jesus called him the greatest human ever to live (verse 11).
So is it difficult to imagine how John might have been offended by the life-ending God had allowed for him? Why couldn’t he be whisked up into heaven? Or given a nice retirement house near the sea? Are those unreasonable expectations for someone so worthy?
God’s answer to one of his most faithful servant’s question was not positive. God may not have even given him a reason why things were turning out that way! Didn’t John deserve at least that?
My hunch is that, beyond the obvious “greater good” answer, God knew that John was strong enough to come to him for a little faith-building. He trusted John’s past actions of faith and reliance on him to help him endure. He knew that John’s work was done and instead of a house on the water John was going to heaven!
Would I be able to see past the fear of death and focus on the positive that I know God could make of it? Would my faith stand the test and help me to trust in the face of an unexplained negative response? I can’t imagine facing that kind of challenge and not stumbling just a bit. I can only pray that when I hear God say, “no” that I can accept it and look to him for the strength to take my next step.
Robertson Davies said, “Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them.” May I see the genius in God when I could otherwise choose to be offended by his answers. Goodness knows, he’s much smarter than me.
“Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Matthew 11:6
In order to be offended by someone I think you first have to have expectations of them or the situation. God asks us to believe in faith that what we ask will happen but there are those times when the answer is still no, not yet, or just a general negative. No explanation. Just a “no” the size of Texas in the face of cancer, bankruptcy, loss, pain, death, or your greatest fear.
I was reading (in my Beth Moore study) about John the Baptist in Matthew 11. It is when he is in prison awaiting his execution and he sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus a question. John wanted to know if Jesus really was the one God sent for him to precede. I think John’s real question might have been, “Is there a chance that I misunderstood that you were the Messiah? Cuz, if I did then I know I won’t get my head chopped off.”
John spent his whole life focused on preparing people for the Messiah to come. He devoted himself to God’s will, even beyond expectations. In so many words, Jesus called him the greatest human ever to live (verse 11).
So is it difficult to imagine how John might have been offended by the life-ending God had allowed for him? Why couldn’t he be whisked up into heaven? Or given a nice retirement house near the sea? Are those unreasonable expectations for someone so worthy?
God’s answer to one of his most faithful servant’s question was not positive. God may not have even given him a reason why things were turning out that way! Didn’t John deserve at least that?
My hunch is that, beyond the obvious “greater good” answer, God knew that John was strong enough to come to him for a little faith-building. He trusted John’s past actions of faith and reliance on him to help him endure. He knew that John’s work was done and instead of a house on the water John was going to heaven!
Would I be able to see past the fear of death and focus on the positive that I know God could make of it? Would my faith stand the test and help me to trust in the face of an unexplained negative response? I can’t imagine facing that kind of challenge and not stumbling just a bit. I can only pray that when I hear God say, “no” that I can accept it and look to him for the strength to take my next step.
Robertson Davies said, “Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them.” May I see the genius in God when I could otherwise choose to be offended by his answers. Goodness knows, he’s much smarter than me.
“Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Matthew 11:6
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