ANGER BREEDS ANGER-LOVE BREEDS LOVE

Good teachers are those who bring forth and stay true to sound doctrine.  They combine the letter with the Spirit and their motive should be love.

They should not be people with an axe to grind, who can only see one side of the slate; that side being their side.  Paul described the false teachers of his days.

         

“They promote speculations rather than the stewardship (good order) from God that is by faith…have an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people…engage in irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (I Timothy 1:4; 6:4,5).

Jesus trained his disciples and when they were ready to go out and minister he gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits, and the authority to heal every disease and affliction. (Matthew 9:1)  If people did not receive them or listen to them they were simply to leave.  People are not to be argued into the kingdom of God.  They are to be invited, drawn in by love and receive healing.

Causes are often fed by anger; anger breeds anger.  The kingdom of God is not taken by force.  It is given in love, and entered into by love; love breeds love.  The zealots of Jesus’ days wanted to make him a cause; wanted an over throw of the established rule and reign of the Roman Empire.  That was not and still is not the Way of God.

I’ve had plenty of axes to grind.  I spent a lot of angry years fighting for what I believed was fair and good; for myself and for others.  It rarely brought me peace of mind or contentment; it usually just brought up another cause, because there are plenty of those to go around.  I have since learned that the battle between good and evil ultimately belongs to God, not me.  I am to focus on Jesus and do what he tells me to do and walk as he walked.

Several scriptures have become life to me:

“Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth.  Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (I Thessalonians 4:11).

“What is that to you?  You must follow me” (John 21:22)