"When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.' Pr. 16:7

This proverb is vividly illustrated by Jesus ---

"The woman at the well left Jesus to share all that Jesus said to her Samaritan neighbors, who hated the Jews; but the woman's vivid testimony brought many out to see the Jewish prophet. These Samaritans preferred to beat until they drew blood or to murder outright the Jews traveling through their territories, and who later even refused hospitality to Jesus' own disciples. But this time, these Samaritans were gracious, for they had undoubtedly been tamed by the personality of the prophet. Jesus accepted the invitation and "He stayed there two days.” and far more believed because of His word. "The Life of Christ", by Giuseppe Ricciotti.

We must be sure that people "hate" us for true Gospel reasons, and not because we are obnoxious, rude and argumentative.

 

  "To be more against the devil than for God is exceedingly dangerous."

"Those who crusade not for God in themselves, but against the devil in others, never succeed in making the world better, but leave it either as it was, or sometimes even perceptibly worse that it was before the crusade began." 

Aldous Huxley.  

  I'm reading Gary Thomas's book "When to walk away" finding freedom from toxic people. The first chapter covered some important points. Here is a condensed list. 

1. Jesus walked away from others (or let others walk away from him) more than two dozen times in the four gospels. 

2. At times Jesus remained verbally silent when others tried to goad him into a conversation or a foolish controversy. 

3. When people asked Jesus to leave, He usually complied. 

4. Not only does Jesus let others walk away; at the great judgment He will send people away. You won't be able to reach or influence everyone you meet. 

5. Sometimes Jesus walked away for personal refreshment, prayer, or the need to reach others. 

6. Though Jesus came to die the death of a martyr, He repeatedly walked away from persecution, attacks, and violence throughout His adult ministry. In the same way, it can be prudent for us to walk away from verbal, emotional or physical abuse. 

 

  "These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him..... one who sows discord among the brethren." 

  "The next consideration regarding vain, and trifling speech is contention; by that I mean, wrangling and perpetual talk proceeding from the spirit of contradiction; a person who is peevish, angry, and has a quarreling disposition, they examine every issue to dispute and busy themselves, and others, with questions and impertinent oppositions.  They are troublesome and they complicate, tangle and twist all wise discourse and throw a cloud upon the face of truth; there is noise but no harmony, fighting but no victory, talking but no learning. They will put every man to flight defending their own position, disturbing the 'rest of truth' and all the dwellings of unity and consent. We can be sure that no person that is clamorous can be wise. They are, in short, "the accuser of the brethren" like the devil; and it is a vile thing for a person to be a tale bearer and sow discord among the brethren: one of the seven things God loudly proclaims He hates." 

Jeremy Taylor. 1600s. 

 

   The most difficult things in life are relational; marriage and child rearing are our biggest challenges, and they demand our very best. To enter marriage or to decide to rear children without educating ourselves is the most foolish thing we can do. "There is safety in a multitude of counselors", and nothing we do impacts the present and the future like marriage and children. It can be the most rewarding thing we ever do, or the most tragic. So we simply must do our due diligence in educating ourselves with books, sermons, wise friends and people we know that have happy and successful families. To neglect this eclipses everything else. 

  

 

  "When David had sinned but in one instance with Bathsheba, interrupting the course of a holy life by one, sad calamity, it pleased God to pardon him, but see upon what hard terms; he prayed long and violently, he wept sore, he was humbled in sackcloth and ashes, he ate the bread of affliction and drank his bottle of tears; he lost his princely sprit, and had an amazed conscience; he suffered the wrath of God, and the sword never did depart from his house. His son rebelled, and his kingdom revolted; he fled on foot, and maintained spies against his own child; he was forced to send an army against him that was dearer than his own eyes, and to fight against him whom he would not hurt for all the riches of Syria and Egypt; his concubines were defied by an incestuous mixture, in the face of the sun, before all Israel; and his child was the fruit of sin, after a seven day's fever, he died, and left him nothing of his sin to show, but sorrow and scourges of the divine vengeance; and after all this God pardoned him finally, because he was for ever sorrowful, and never did the sin again. 

  Now he that has sinned a thousand times for David's once, is too confident if he thinks that all his shall be pardoned at a less rate than  was used to expiate the one mischief of the religious King David."   Jeremy Taylor.