Mean girl

I am continuing on the theme of what I am learning in the book of Esther. Have you ever read something and think, "yep  that's me"? This clearly happened for me recently.

In the story of Esther there is a bad guy, a really mean guy named Haman.  He is fueled by revenge and plots the demise of the entire Jewish nation. You just want to hate him and boo him off the pages.  Really, who plots and schemes to hurt people?  Who thinks about situations over and over?  Who mentally inflicts harm to people? "Not me", I thought.

In the study we talked about how often "we" are the mean people.  There are things, situations, conversations where we are the "Haman's"

Take an inventory with me. How often do you.....

• Think mean thoughts about others.
•  Think about the ways that I can get someone back.
• Visualize the look on their face when you say a really witty, cutting comment back to them.
• Become angered by this person succeeding.
• Have a difficult time praying for God to bless them.
• Rejoice when they are suffering.

How did you do?

I did not score so well, I am embarrassed to say. In the depths of my heart I am a sinful, hateful, creature. There is a wicked thing inside of me called meanness. 

Romans 7:15-16,21-23 talks in depth about this issue of meanness.

For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 

Do you ever feel like this. You try and love because you know that the Lord requires this of you because He is love but.....

You are continually fighting against your thoughts.

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:13-15

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? E

ven sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:27-36

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

If you are anything like this mean girl I am still needing one more reminder.

 

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

 

I John 4:19-20

If you struggle like this mean girl does, take heart in knowing that God can and will change the meanness into love. Allow his loving grace filled Spirit wash you clean of the meanness and replace it with his LOVE.

Father, take this mean girl and make her grace filled. Wash me clean and restore my heart to be loving like yours. 

Jann