Proverbs 11:17
17 “A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.”
Cruelty within relationships is a huge problem.
Fact is, just like non-believers, Christians have a need to be
physically and emotionally connected to other people.
Even Jesus sought relationships with others.
With this in mind, why would God allow relationships to be fraught with so many challenges and adversity?
Because He knows that relationships, like most anything in our lives worth having, require effort.
It takes two to Tango.
While the concept seems basic, that healthy relationships are rooted in effort, the problem with that is many people invest too much of their time and energy in destructive efforts.
Instead of lifting each other up, praying with and for others or engaging in constructive communication, a large percentage of Christian men and women who are in a relationship admit doing something to hurt their partner in one way or another.
Even great relationships are known to include behaviors that could be labeled as toxic on the part of one, or both partners.
After all, we are not perfect. Only God and Jesus have perfect relationships.
And this is a problem because we are imperfect beings who are very likely to say or do something that will be perceived as hurtful by others.
Because humans are emotional creatures, that\’s pretty much inevitable.
But there’s a lot more to toxicity in relationships than hurt feelings, specially when cruelty becomes a variable in the destructive equation.
It’s one thing to say or do something that hurts another person, but to take pleasure in hurting someone else is just plain evil – and dumb.
Just as God reveals in Proverbs, a man who is cruel only hurts himself. What about women who are cruel? 😛
Over the years, I’ve been asked about and recognized that scripture is very much gender driven. To the untrained eyes and ears, the Bible often uses “man” or “men” and not “woman” or “women.”
And that’s a problem for many people who read the Word through gender colored glasses.
Face it, both men and women fall short of the glory of God.
In the Bible, God\’s holy Word, our divine Father holds men accountable on more occasions than women.
If you’ve never read or heard the Word, you should trust this is a well documented, historical fact.
Why is God so hard on men?
God is harder on men than women because He expects more out of them.
He expects men to model themselves after Him, and after Jesus.
But Jesus wasn’t married, and He didn’t have KIDS!!!
Jesus is the bridegroom to all those who go to Him, to His church.
Jesus, God is the Father of all life, forever. That’s a lot of kids. A lot of voices, needs, sorrows, a lot of cries.
Jesus is not cruel.
Men should not be cruel, because a man who is cruel only hurts himself.
Likewise, women after God’s heart should humble themselves and honor the Lord in their relationships, as a woman who is cruel only hurts herself.
Were you able to glean and grow from this message so God can be further glorified and His Kingdom magnified? If so, I would love to hear from you. Follow this link to get in touch… Let’s pray!
Father God;
We thank you for your presence in our lives,
We praise you Lord for the wisdom found through John,
And we ask you Lord to help us find joy in your perfect plan.
Allow us to praise and love each other through faith in you Jesus,
Shield us from evil through your Word, salvation and prayer,
Guide us to abide by the truth as we spread the good news to one and all,
And lead the lost to You.
God we pray that you will continue to bless us,
To bless our lives and fill us with hope.
We ask you Lord to guide our footsteps and lead us to the way everlasting,
Through faith in you Lord we seek salvation and our place with you in Heaven
According to your ways, your everlasting wisdom and strength.
May your will be done, here on Earth and through the vast Universe,
May our hearts be filled with your everlasting love and grace.
Praises to You God, Amen!
This message was written by Daniel St.Pierre
