How not to be offended

Psalms 119:165

“Great peace have they who love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

This verse is an account of happy people governed by the principle of God’s word.

Today our churches and schools are plagued by people who get so offended easily. We are taught through television, role models, movies, etc. that we are supposed to get angry when things do not go our way.

We see kids taking guns to school and killing people for no other reasons than that they are unhappy or angry about something that happened. Road rage, kids killing parents, heroes in movies get angry and blow away the bad guys. We get angry with our friends…we even get angry with ourselves when we do not understand WHY we feel bad or angry!

We’ve been called to a higher level of behavior.

The Bible says that Christians, those who walk with the Lord, will not be angry like that.

So, how do we go about not being angry or offended?

Stay in the Word “..they which love the law..”

1. To love the law/word we must read it

2. Memorize it (II Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

   1. None enjoy themselves more than these people.

3. Over time we grow to love it. You realize everything will work good for you.

Do not desire things and positions

1. Disappointments are what offends us

   1. We believe we are entitled to something, when we are not treated that way, we become offended or angry.

   2. We feel our rights have been violated---it’s not right!

2. Christians should desire to give and help, not take and want

Do not retaliate to those that are unkind to us

1. Remember, they have problems too---ever had a “bad day”?

2. Paul fought the Lord but the Lord did not fight him

3. Love the unlovely

4. Get your feelings out to the Lord, do not keep them within.

5. Do not take criticism personally

   1. Look at critics as broken.

   2. Cars break, watches break, we do not throw them away.

   3. Realize you may be broken too

   4. We tend to think that a person who likes US is good even if they are bad to the rest of the world. We fool ourselves then become angry /hurt when the truth comes out.

NOTE: Tell a story about someone that could have offended you, but you wouldn’t allow that to happen.