The superpower and superhero of our current day is bitterness. The sidekicks of hurt, wrongs and offense in spirit and embodiment in politics, culture, and academia. Historical, current and potential wrongs must be viewed through the lens of a divine impulse toward reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness.
In these dark days among so many malevolent forces, there is a kryptonite that will defeat these basic themes of bitterness, hatred, and angry division.
Superman, of comic book fame is stripped of his super powers through this alien mineral kryptonite.
Without love, forgiveness, and reconciliation, Christianity is powerless.
When you truly love God, it’s reflected in your love for His Word. When you love His Word, it decreases the ability of other things to affect you. In fact, you will not just gain wisdom and strength over offense, you will be transformed to love, pray for and bless your enemies and detractors.
That is the superpower of the Love God.
Loving God and His Holy Word Will bring the downfall of bitterness, hatred, and division.
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165
The scripture states, “Nothing shall offend them.”
In some translations, “Nothing shall cause them to stumble.”
Offense comes from over-focusing on the actions, attitudes, and words of others.
God is perfect.
His word is perfect.
The focus on Him and His will put in the context of every other thing that comes your way.
We live in a world that is energized by the negative force of offense.
It’s the synergistic connectivity of darkness that seeks to keep people in a posture of hypersensitivity to past, present, and possible wrongs and slights.
No doubt there is an enticement to use this kind of sentiment as bait and attraction. However, we must not forget, like begets like.
Flesh begets flesh.
Offense begets offense.
If you reach them with offense, you will need to keep feeding offense to keep them.
However, if you reach them with the message of forgiveness, this divine virtue of grace not only will attract, it has the power to grasp them in perpetuity.
However, once a person allows themselves to be untethered to the endless grace of forgiveness that flows through us, it disconnects us from the amazing grace of God.
I appeal to the hearts and minds of Christians everywhere, don’t be deceived into thinking that rehashing and revisiting historical wrongs and grievances will in some way be more potent than the simple message of forgiveness; you are deceived.
The Message in Genesis is universally challenging and liberating.
Joseph was given the ability to see the divine wisdom displayed in his brothers’ wrongs and betrayals. He understood God worked it all out for divine salvation and provision.
“You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”
Joseph forgave.
Joseph fed, clothed and provided for his hateful, cruel, murderous brothers.
Forgiveness is what saves the world.
We must continually educate others to understand true peace comes through each one releasing and forgiving others.
If forgiveness saved the world, how will we misappropriate people who were not present or participating in evils can somehow fix things that happened to someone else in so many yesterdays will do more than be a temporary cathartic effect is an exercise in foolishness.