If I know God, I ought to live like I know Him. I should live with a confidence but also with love and grace toward others.

“By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:13-15)

My lips should tell of Him, but my life should reflect Him. I should seek every day to look more like my Savior and give Him glory.

One way to examine your progress in this is to evaluate how easily you are offended.

Proverbs 19:11 says, “glory is to overlook an offense”.

It is godly character to forgive and move on. It is foolish to look for offense in every word and situation coming your way. (Or Momma Bear, your kid’s way).

There are some offenses that need to be prayerfully addressed. But most of the time, we need to have our default setting be “overlook and move on” otherwise we can find offense around every corner and keep ourselves torn up over things all the time.

We need to ask ourselves if the thing that is bothering us is really worth the emotional bandwidth we are giving it.

Are we not using our time well if we are spending so much time being torn up by what others have done or said?

Are we allowing ourselves to be easily offended and pull back from others instead of graciously loving them?

I get it. People say and do things (or don’t do things) that hurt my feelings. But am I being too self focused if I’m constantly thinking about how I feel rather than how God sees things?

It has helped me in these instances to pray and ask the Lord to help me see others as He sees them. He has softened my heart and helped me overlook the offenses of others in order to not get in the way of what He may be doing. He has also helped me remember I, too, have offended others.

God has helped me remember how Jesus loved those who spit on and mocked Him. He loved us all so much that He died for us before any of us had a kind thought or kind action toward Him.

And as Christ followers, we are called to follow exactly this kind of behavior—we love because He loved us. And we hope that in doing so, others, even those who offend us, might see God in us and give Him glory!

read1John

Note – this is a continuation of my study of 1 John.