June 3 Our Attitude Towards Others… Luke 6:31
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” (Luke 6:31)
Recently, I met a friend that I had not seen in many years, and we began to reminisce about the “old days!” We shared a brief history of our lives and bragged about our grandchildren. As our conversation was coming to a close, an elderly lady came up to the car and was waiting to get to her vehicle. She was obviously having difficulty navigating the cart and as she approached, she said, “Please pardon me, that is my car beside of yours.” In an instant, I saw this “old friend” turn into someone that I didn’t want to be around. He responded to the request of this elderly lady with a “hateful” response. “I’ll move when I am ready!” “Let’s just step over here,” I responded. Wow, what came next was amazing! He told me that her kind had an entitlement attitude and that he was tired of dealing with her kind (I am being kind about her kind…he used words that I don’t use). He told me that he was taking a stand for his rights! I quickly bid him good bye and I went into the store. I entered the store and one of the employees that just happen to be “her kind,” said, “Good morning Pastor.” I stopped in my tracks and sat down on the bench that is near the front door. My “old friend” had made the issue of relationships so very clear and I took a moment to contemplate what had just happened. This verse, in Luke, was the attitude that my mother lived before me, in every avenue of her life. You have probably heard this before; my mother would talk to a sign post! Mama never met a stranger and she would always greet others with a smile and always assumed that they were a “potential” friend! While I was sitting on the bench, several folks came by and they stopped to speak. There it is…so clear and plain and simple that politicians, bigots, racists, hate-mongers, and self-centered individuals just don’t get it! Jesus taught Love! Jesus lived Love! Jesus IS LOVE! The success of our relationships with others is fully dependent on our relationship with Jesus! Mama’s message of Living with others was founded and grounded in her relationship with Jesus. By the way, my “old friend” proudly told me that he was a Deacon in his local church. Listen, there are going to be individuals that are just plain hateful and only the Blood of Jesus will change them, however, we are still called to treat others as we would like to be treated. We cannot control the actions of others; however, we can absolutely control our reactions to them!! My “ramblings” today point to the message to our society…TREAT OTHERS THE WAY THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED…REGADLESS OF GENDER, RACE, CREED OR ETHNIC BACKGROUND!! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!