mepastormike

Sometimes I have the idea float around in the back of my head to NOT love my neighbor as myself (secret confession of a pastor). I had a close friend tell me one time that they wished they could be 'off-duty' as a Christian sometimes. And just recently a friend was confessing to me that it would be so easy to give in and do the WRONG thing... and by doing the wrong thing they could actually 'get ahead.' How do we handle temptation like this when it comes?
I had to deal with this very thing today. I became very frustrated with a situation today involving folks who can be rather intolerable at times...just like today! I found myself feeling sad and then mad... and the longer I thought about it the madder I got. I knew I had to do something about what was going on inside of me so I called a friend and vented. Then God showed me His grace by reminding me of a dear lady (an adopted grandmother to me), and so I called her to talk about nothing in particular.
I'm still sad about the situation and the unresolved nature that remains within these people's lives, but I'm not mad about it any longer. This where I must trust in the Lord to do what I can not in order to bring about His will. My reading took me to Judges, chapter 14 today. I read about Samson and how God's Spirit came upon him. The thing that stands out the most to me about this is that Samson seemed to have a real problem with authority and did not tend to play nicely with others... he reminds me more of a spoiled brat. Yet God used this man in remarkable ways, even through his defiance to God's commands upon his life. God's will trumped Samson's disobedience and defiance. Realizing this I'm struck wondering how much more could have been accomplished through Samson's life if only he would have submitted more fully to the working of God's Holy Spirit?
O Lord, help me to be patient and to wait upon You in the situations I'm involved in. May I never grow too tired of doing the right thing for the right reasons... for Your glory. May I submit to the working of Your Holy Spirit within my life, and to live out the command to love my neighbor as myself. To God be the glory. -Amen.