Webster’s Dictionary defines offense as, “something that causes a person to be hurt, angry, or upset; something that outrages the moral or physical senses”. As I view America today, I see it as the “land of the offended’. Everyone is offended by the acts of others. There is a great deal of evil in the world today; there is no doubt about that. I am not talking about a righteous anger that we as Christians should have towards blatant sin. Sin is sin as defined by the perfect and complete word of God. I am talking about being offended at people, not acts and not sin.
I can barely stand to get on social media or watch any kind of news report. I am embarrassed by who we have become. America has been a great nation because we were founded and grounded in God almighty. We have decided that as a whole, we don’t want to have the absolute truths that God’s word speaks to us. We are offended by His holiness instead of being reverent and fearful of a holy God. We are offended by the sins and sin nature of our fellow man. We are the land of the offended. So what is man’s solution to all of this offense? Give rights to some; strip rights from others. Ban this to appease this group; embrace that to quiet that group. The problem is that while trying to please all of the offended people, we have turned our backs on the Holy God of the universe and His righteousness.
Billy Graham said, “Our society strives to avoid the possibility of offending anyone – except God.” We have a high call that seems to be getting more difficult by the day. Jesus was asked by the religious leaders of His day what the greatest command of the law is. His answer is found in Matthew 22:37-40; “ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.‘ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
We have a problem people. Are we truly, I mean truly loving the Lord, our God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds? If so, would we be acting and thinking the way we are? Secondly, are we truly loving our neighbors as ourselves? I do love myself because I was created in the image of God, but I hate my sin nature. I despise when I knowingly sin. Notice, I said I love me, but I hate my sin. I don’t embrace it. I don’t accept it. I hate the things I do and have done that contradict God’s plan for my life.
This dark world we are living in is getting darker by the hour. We must find a way to love people while hating the sin that is meant to destroy and deceive us all. I am making a conscious, purposeful, and daily choice to not be offended and hate people. I hate sin because God hates sin. He hates sin so much that He sent His one and only son to die a horrific death to pay the penalty for what sin was doing to mankind. I am choosing to love people because God loves people. I am choosing to love because hate does nothing but destroy and force people away from God.
When we are offended at people, we don’t have it in our hearts to love them. If we don’t have love, then we don’t have unity. When there is no unity, there is no power. Where there is no power, evil wins. I watched God at work in Charleston after the horrific act of hate that took place at a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Precious souls lost their lives because of the hate and evil of a troubled young man. The reactions of the families and the community was God at work in the midst of the darkness. People showed loved, compassion, and unity. The devil was not able to establish what he wanted to in that town. Love showed up and the devil (as well as the media), decided to move on to something else. No one condoned the evil, but they decided the power was in the love. I Corinthians 13 offers some powerful truths. Verse 6 reminds us, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
That is a promise- love never fails. Let’s show the world and the enemy what happens when we act like true, Bible believing Christians. Let’s love them to life!
Courtnay Aycock