Biblical Behavior

As a pastor, you just can't avoid doing some counseling. Counseling Biblically has some real advantages. God's Word is truth and as such gives us a lot of answers. When someone is mad at someone else, the Bible is clear; its ok to be mad, but you have to move toward forgiveness and reconciliation. If someone is treating you badly, you do not have the right to treat them badly. The right thing is the right thing even when it is not what will make you happy or help you the most. Many Christians seem to stumble over these simple truths. We want to explain why we don't have to follow that particular thing or why our behavior doesn't fit that particular Biblical truth, but the Bible says what it says and we either heed it or we don't. It never ceases to amaze me when professing Christians spend a lot of time and emotional energy explaining to me why their behavior, although clearly not the Scriptural response, is ok based on the bad behavior of someone else. Yes, people treat us badly, yes, we are sometimes cheated, hurt, or misused. But Christ specifically addresses issues like that. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If you are forced to walk a mile, volunteer to walk two. Bless those who curse you, love your enemies, pray for those who mistreat you. Do not return evil for evil. It is not very often that I have seen that response when Christians begin to fight. Whether it is between two members in a church, between two Christian spouses, or between two factions made up of Christians, the response is usually counter attack, counter charge, and a focus on what is wrong in the other persons behavior. The one thing you are hard pressed to notice is the one thing that is strongly encouraged in scripture. Love and gentleness, no matter how you are being treated. I'm not holding myself above this. I fall into the all too human trap myself and God is working on me. May we all be inspired by the example of Christ who spoke not a word when accused and as he hung on a cross, unjustly and unfairly convicted, prayed that God would forgive those who framed him and hung him there. Now that's a Biblical response!!