Have you ever been in a discussion where someone is determined to have the last word. It is an interesting thing to watch almost like a verbal tennis match. Each member hitting it just once more over the net in hopes of proving their point or their importance or just being determined to have their opinion be the last shared. Generally this type of verbal sparring doesn’t lead anywhere good. Neither member of the discussion walks away pleased and often it can harm the relationship.
What if the last word was a word of life? When God speaks He always has the last word but the purpose is to establish truth, bring freedom, healing and love. If you find yourself in one of these verbal tennis matches instead of using the last word to promote an opinion, which usually means it ends up not being the last word, what would happen if we spoke God’s word? His words have power to bring freedom and healing and to sow love into the other person’s heart which is so much more important than our opinion.
Of course I am not saying that people don’t have a right to their opinion only that we give it it’s proper place. Our opinions are meant to spur our action in how we vote, community involvement etc but they are never supposed to be the source of separation, division or harm. Sadly all to often we allow just that as we stand our ground over them. If we have accepted Jesus we are called to be His stewards in the earth which means we represent what He says not what we have to say. I know this is often not a popular message especially in America where we are born to stand for what we believe again I am not saying opinions are bad it is how we act and react to them that can do damage. You may read this and think that this is just my opinion and therefore disregard it. However it is not an opinion but rather the last word from Jesus our Lord.
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
Ephesians 4:29 NKJV
“If we have accepted Jesus we are called to be His stewards in the earth which means we represent what He says not what we have to say.“ This is what got me, and I think it might be part of the key to being unoffendable. I think it’s about laying our lives down and dying to self. God doesn’t want us to be offeneed! He never wants us to be hurt! And while we see putting down our flesh as a great sacrifice, and it is, there are sooo many benefits to it too. I know that’s not the heart of your blog but I also think it closely connects.