"The Light of Life" -3

"For in Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light." (Psalms 36:9) If you were wondering about the Proverb used at the close of yesterday's post, it might help to know that God's light also connects the dots between us and our neighbors; in other words, we that are in the Light are meant to see our neighbors as we see ourselves, and in that case, there is no 'sport' between us and them, just as God has intended it to be, we are not to covet or try and harm our neighbor, but treat them as we would like to be treated. This is the effect that is meant to be in us as we are in the Light of God, not only do we see Light, but we see Love; Love as God intended it to be between one another, where there is no strife from being offended, because there is no offence taken between one another. When Jesus told Peter that he should forgive his brother seventy times seven times in one day, He was basically telling Peter that he should not take offence of anything that his brother might do or say to offend him. If we truly want to be like Jesus, then we need to forgive our brothers and sisters before they even offend us; which is what Christ has done for us, in that He has forgive us our sins, before we have even committed them; let alone, before we have asked Him to forgive us. If we can forgive those that might offend us before they might offend us, then we are already prepared to forgive them when we are offended; call it being meek and lowly at heart, if you will; but the main point of not talking any offence by what someone might do or say to you, is that you want to have your heart prepared to forgive, and if you end up being offended by someone, then the first place for forgiveness to take place is in your own heart; and in the case, you are asking God to forgive you for taking offence to what was said or done to you. After all, there is always a nice way to show someone that you are offended by what they have done, just as Jesus demonstrated by the way He folded His face napkin up, and He sat it next to His undisturbed burial cloth in the tomb; which was a Jewish custom of showing your dissatisfaction with the meal or the treatment of your host at a dinner table: if you were happy with the meal or the way you were treated, then you would simply lay your napkin to the side of your plate when done; if you were not happy with the meal or the way you were treated, then you fold your napkin up and set it down neatly, as if to say, "I don't think I liked the way I was treated, and I will not be doing this again". Now, if you think that you have a right to demonstrate that to your next host that might offend you, let me remind you of the treatment that Jesus received of His host, which were His own people, the Jews... "And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyeth the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver him now, if He will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God." (Matthew 27:39-43)