“Going the extra mile,” “turning the other cheek,” “giving away your cloak as well as your shirt,” and “lending while expecting nothing in return,” all have this in common: Fighting over them is a waste of time and energy—we have better things to do!
It is true that there are Christians who deserve to be publicly shamed and sued. So why did Paul tell us not to bring lawsuits against each other? Because Christians don’t treat each other the way the world treat each other—we have better things to do!
Everything good that we have is from God and has been placed in our hands for His Kingdom work. The devil targets those good things and makes us treat them as if they are ours to do with as we see fit. The godlier you are, the more likely the devil is to deceive you into thinking that you know what’s best for God’s things. Beneath the surface of every faithful manager is the potential to become an overly righteous, mean miser. It is one thing to do due diligence before helping others, but quite another to develop reasons to close our hands to the needy who fail our personal tests—we have better things to do.
These better things to do are “to act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). It is fairness, forgiveness and fellowship with God that defines you. Your thoughts, words and actions are obvious reflections of Christ within you. And naturally so, for you have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Christians spend too much time righting wrongs that are best left at the foot of the cross. While the world obsesses about personal gain and glory—we have better things to do!
John Staiger
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