Are you ready to serve?

Do you ever feel like you are backwards in trying to live a Christian life?  Do you feel like you are right handed in a left handed world or like you are walking around with your shoes on the wrong feet, just trying to do the right thing?
Try writing a simple sentence with your opposite hand.
It's not comfortable.
It's awkward.
It doesn't even feel natural at times and you want to switch hands so badly.  You know you can probably do it faster and easier with your other hand.
As Christians, we tend to be opposite from the world in many ways and being different can be uncomfortable and can make life difficult.
So what does it mean to achieve greatness?  Does being served by others mean you have achieved greatness?

According to Luke 22:27 God's perspective of greatness is the opposite of the world's perspective.  It is the one who serves that is the one who has achieved greatness.
"For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves?  Is it not the one who reclines at the table?  But I am among you as the one who serves."

Jesus showed humility and served others while on earth even through his final moments with the disciples.  He prepared them for his death and shared the passover meal with them.
Luke 22:19-23
"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.  But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.  And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!  And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing."

What did the bread represent?  His body
What did Jesus say the cup represented?  His blood

Why do you think Jesus did what he did for us? 
Do you remember what our lesson was about last week?  Love. 

John 15:12-13
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

We should be lead to serve one another by love and have sacrificing attitudes.  Jesus' death was more than just an example of love, it was the ultimate example of selflessness.

Think about these things the next time you go out to eat and wanna catch an attitude with a waitress that is doing her job by serving you or when you are at the check out line at Wal Mart.  Would you be able to get your meal or your grocery without that person who is helping you?  A follower of Christ must reject the world's perspective of greatness and live by God's values.

We can adopt these "kingdom perspectives" into our lives too.  Have you ever stood by a friend during a difficult time, like a tough break up or a rough transition at school, a divorce or a personal struggle?  Where you rewarded for being a faithful friend?
The disciples stood by Jesus through many trials.

Luke 22:28-30
"Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

What was his promise to the disciples for their faithfulness? (a role of authority with Him in heaven)
What are some ways you can anonymously serve others this week?

Your challenge this week is to record one thing you have done each day to serve someone. 

"The cost of true greatness is humble, selfless, sacrificial service.  The Christian who desires to be great and first in the kingdom is the one who is willing to serve in the hard place, the uncomfortable place, the lonely place, the demanding place, the place where he is not appreciated and may even be persecuted.  Knowing that time is short and eternity is long, he is willing to spend and be spent." - John MacArthur.
 

Picture of Love

We opened the lesson with the Toby Mac Song "Made to Love".

We all say we know what love is but can you draw a picture of love?  So is love more of a feeling or an action?

"What does love look like?  It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.  It has eyes to see misery and want.  it has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.  That is what love looks like." - St. Augustine.

Luke 10:25-29 tells us to Love completely. 
"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life.  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou.  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?"

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Jesus challenges us:

1)  What is the inner most part of a person's being?   (Soul)
2)  What is the inner most part of a person's reason?  (Mind)
3)  What is the inner most part of a person's emotions, will and deepest convictions?  (Heart)
4)  What is how a person uses the abilities and powers he has been given?  (Strength)

What does Jesus mean by love your neighbor?

Transition:  We must have the right definition for "neighbor" because Christ expects us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Read Luke 10:30-32
"And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side."

Both the Levites (members of the tribe of Levi but not descendants of Aaron/assistants of priests) and  the priests (descendants of Aaron who had priestly responsibilities in the Jerusalem temple) were held in high esteem by the Jewish people, so it had to shock them to hear them refused to help a person in need.

Don't make excuses.  Seeing a need is not enough.  If we have not responded to the needs of others, we have not fulfilled God's command to love our neighbor.

What would be a good excuse not to help someone?  Trick question...there are no good excuses.  Unless you are in danger, you have no excuse to not help someone, to not "love your neighbors as yourself".  Just a kind word or a smile may be just what someone needs to get through a rough day.


Translation:  Love motivates us to respond as God expects us to when we see someone in need. 
Read Luke 10:33-37 "Respond in the right way" 
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

We fulfill God's command to love our neighbor when we act compassionately towards those in need.  Let's call it a "God Samaritan".  Back then in Jesus' time the Jews didn't view Samaritans as their neighbors.  The Jews and Samaritans were enemies.  Why do you think Jesus made the hated Samaritans the hero of this parable?  Like the Samaritans, we must be willing to alter our plans to help others.  Sometimes we need to stop what we are doing and show the love of Christ to those in need even if they hate Him and us.  We should not decide whose needs we will meet based on race, financial situation, gender, political, education, or social status.

Jesus calls us to show compassion to others NO MATTER WHAT!!

Closing we should continually ask ourselves "How can I respond in Love?"  You should display Christ's love by sacrificially responding to the needs around you with compassion and grace.  God does not want us to have just a "text book" definition of loving our neighbor.  He wants us to demonstrate love for our neighbors in the real world by showing real compassion to those in real need.

A great example of showing compassion for others is by praying for their needs. 

Choose a better tommorrow

Commitment.  What does it mean to you?  How do you show you're committed to something?  In school you study hard, make good grades, don't miss class. In sports you practice, you get good, better, improve, don't miss games.  With friends you are always there to listen to their problems, call for birthdays, hang out together, give them encouragement.  But what does commitment look like to Jesus?
In Luke 9:18-20 the disciples made the decision to follow Jesus because they were aware of who he really was. 
Luke 9:20 says: "And he said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Peter answered and said, 'The Christ of God."
Knowing this, they gave him their total commitment.
According to Luke 9:23 he asked them to deny themselves and take up their crosses daily and follow him.  DAILY.  That really struck a cord with me.  We are often told we can not "taste test" Christianity and that is exactly what scripture is telling us right here.  It is a conscious effort we must work at daily.  A commitment.  So when was a time when you gave a total commitment to deny yourself and take up your cross?  What would you do differently in your life to better serve God to be more committed to him?
So what's keeping you from making that total commitment?
It can be difficult sometimes to make that commitment.  It's counter culture to a lot of things we are exposed to when we make that choice to commit to him we are saying we are willing to live in a different way than much of the world. 


So how do you identify with Jesus?  To identify with him we can't be ashamed of him.
In Luke 9:24-26 he pretty much says if you are ashamed of me...well I'm ashamed of you.
Remember when we talked about godliness and being Christ like?  That's where this comes into play.  You have to be like Christ so people see Christ in you...people identify you with Christ.  Sure he wants you to boldly tell people about him but he rather you just show them.  In fact, he even makes reference for them to not tell the people he was the Messiah at one point (in Luke 9:21), but rather to show them through your actions by denying yourself and taking up your cross daily.  This is how he wants you to identify with him.  When someone looks at how you live, do they clearly see a relationship with Jesus?  Do you want them to?  Maybe you need to think about some things or people you need to distance yourself from.  Are you willing to do that?  To make that kind of total commitment?  We can gain a lot from following our worldly desires...especially when we get impatient with God's timing.  But is it worth it. 

According to Jeremiah 29:11  God has a great future for every one of us.  "For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."
But through our choices, we knock ourselves from his plan for us.  Your choices dictate your steps you take:  steps to glory or steps to destruction.  You make your tomorrow today.  For every act, consider the consequences of your choices.  Every choice has a consequence, no matter how small.  It doesn't have to be immediate but it will come.  There is no such thing as karma, only God's will.  You can gain the world with bad choices but what good is it if you loose your soul along the way?  In the book of Genesis we see Esau sell out his birthright just to satisfy his momentary hunger rather than waiting just moments more to prepare his own meal.  It is better to deny yourself some things today, even if people mock you, so you can have a better tomorrow.
Your destiny is dependant on nobody but YOU and God.  So don't let people persuade you into making the wrong choices, choose to endure today and enjoy your blessings tomorrow.  It will come around.  It always does.  God IS watching.  Joseph had an amazing destiny mapped out by God and although he could have followed the crowds and make some bad choices, he endured and God blessed him making him number 2 to the thrown of Egypt. 
So what can you do to make your tomorrow better?

 Fear God - God will teach you to make the right choices when you fear.  Psalms 25:12 tell us this through reverence, respect and obedience.
Study and meditate on his word  - The word of God will help you to tell good from evil.  Isaiah 7:15 tells us that the more of God's word we have in us, the more strength and grace we have in us.
And MOST importantly
Think Before you talk or act - Do not hastily do anything no matter what or who is pressuring you.  Always consider the consequences of your choices.  James 1:19 tells us to be slow to speak and quick to hear.

Your tomorrow really is great....choose it to be.

Traditional Christian or Growing Christian

We opened our lesson with the Toby Mac Song: “Speak Life”

 

Do you feel like your growing in your faith or do you feel like you’re in a rut in your Christian faith? Are you in a rut of doing tradition things…the same thing over and over and not sure why? Do you know what a tradition is?

Tradition: refers to any kind of teaching…written or spoken, that is handed down from generation to generation. Do you see how a tradition could cause a rut?

 

Read Matt 15:1-6 (Follow scripture, not traditions)

"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,  Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.  But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."

 

The Pharisees and Scribes were Jewish leaders who taught the people about the laws they should keep. It wasn’t enough that the first (5) books of the bible contain (613) different laws. But these teachers added many, many more that they called “The traditions of the elders” which were passed on by word of mouth.

One of these “traditions” held by the Pharisees was ceremonial hand washing. That everyone should was their hands before eating not for cleanliness, but out of ritual. They believed it was a sign of being clean from sin.

Jesus corrected their wrong beliefs, in Jewish society it was ok to fail to care for aging parents, if they would use the money for God instead of care for the elders. Jesus made it clear no tradition of men excuses them from the 5^th commandment.

 

Read Matt 15:7-9 (Avoid Hypocrisy)

"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

 

So what is a hypocrite? Originally, the word “hypocrite” referred to an actor in the theater, it meant to play a part or pretend. Eventually it took on the meaning we have today of a person acting like something they are not. In Jesus’ time these Jewish leaders acted like they were holy, but he knew they cared more for traditions than God’s word. How many “Christians” today say they do one thing, but really do another?

Read Matt 15:10-11;17-20 (Pure of Heart)

"And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."

"Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

 

Jesus pointed out the real problem. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t wash your hands, plucked a bit of grain on the Sabbath day, play musical instruments during worship services, or chew gum in church building.

Read 1Cor6:19 (your body is a temple).

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

 

 The real problem is worse, corrupt by human nature…and/or sin. Jesus said the food we eat does not condemn us…the words we speak do. The ritual of washing hands before eating was legalism, such emphasis on rules and rituals promote pride in the act itself and condemned other. Jesus stated the sinful things people say have a root cause…the human heart. Jesus shows us how wicked and deceitful the human heart is…the sins start in the heart like evil thoughts, murders, adultery, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies, this is only a small part of a never ending list.

Closing we need to focus on our relationship with God so we can worship and serve him truthfully. Are there any things that you are currently doing that you don’t know why…possible “traditions”?

Closing prayer – Dear God please open our eyes to acknowledge that we need God’s help to let go of traditions that are in violations of scripture not only for us but our family, friends, everyone in the church, and everyone we come in contact with. Dear Lord help us with guidance, clarity, courage, and understanding the truth and wisdom in the bible.

Remain faithful in your godliness

We opened the lesson with a song from Sidewalk Prophets "Words I Would Say".  It set the tone for our discussion of keeping the faith in our godliness.

So what is godliness anyway?  And why godliness?  Godliness is conforming to the laws of and wishes of God or to have a religious character.  There are many benefits to godliness since it holds promises for our life today and our life to come. 

(READ 1 Timothy 4:7-10  "But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.  On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life an also for the life to come.")
Are you willing to work until it hurts to pursue godliness?  Who plays sports?  How often do you practice?  Can you honestly say you give that much effort to training yourself to be more godly?  After all, godliness is grounded in the work of Christ.
Now there's a difference between true and fake godliness.  Godliness is not just something to see on the outside, its not something you do to impress others.  You get no person benefit from fake godliness, nor does it help you in your life.  The real benefits come with true godliness.  True godliness will bring help with decision making, avoiding sin, bringing you closer to God,  joy from walking with God and wisdom to help others, not to mention eternal blessings of ruling with Christ in the new heaven and earth.  So do you think that if you do good things you will become more godly?  Actually, godliness results in works...good works do not produce godliness.  We have to ground ourselves in the work of Jesus and what he did for us.  In doing that, reflecting, meditating, building your life on his truth that produces godliness.  Good works will flow from the life of one rooted in godliness through the work of Jesus.
Now what happens when you are plugging along, doing the godly thing and you just keep getting slammed by the world.  Unappreciated.  Disrespected.  Expectation that since you are the good Christian person you will always be there.  You feel used.  You feel abused.  You feel taken advantage of.  Suddenly this godly stuff doesn't look so cool anymore and you feel like losing your religion over it!
What do you do when you get overwhelmed?  I've learned to looked to the word.  It's all here.  Seriously.  This situation is no different. 
(READ Titus 3:1-8  "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.  For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Saviour and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and newing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds.")

We have to stand in God's grace.  We wonder why do we continue to do these things for people and go out of our way in the name of godliness?  Because it's not just about us.  The example we are making in our godliness speaks volumes.  The impact you make with one good deed can last on in the lives of so many.  Ever heard the term "One good deed deserves another"?  You are impacting others with your godliness whether you know it or not.
(READ 2 Timothy 2:1-2  "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.")
Your behaviors (negative or positive) radiate on those around you.  Think about the example you wanna make for your little sister or big brother, or mom or dad, grandma or uncle.  Your godliness could bring him or her to closer to Christ, so don't give up on it when you get disappointed in a situation.

But how do you endure?
(READ 2 Timothy 2:3-10 "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.  Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.  The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.  Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.  Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.  For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.")

Let me ask you a question, what do you want to be when you get out of school?
Wanna be in the army?
Play pro football?
Raise sugar cane?
Be an engineer?
A doctor or nurse?
So when you lose a patient or have a bad season or lose a battle on the front lines...you gonna just give up?  No.  Why?  Because it's your life.  It's your job.  It's your lively hood.  You depend on it.  your godliness should be no different.  Will you know it all on day one?  No.  Will you ever know it all?  NO.  It takes continued hard work and endurance but the rewards are so worth it.

(READ 2 Timothy 2:11-13 "It is a trustworthy statement:  For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.")

Just remember the end result is endurance.

Always keep the faith.

Here is the perfect example of how your actions can impact the actions of others. 
Acts of Kindness Video (Click on this link to view it)
Always stay faithful in your godliness even when you feel like losing hope.  When you think no one notices...they do.  Be the chance in someone's life today.


Source Credits:  Life Focus Studies by Lifeway

Lonely Fear / Doubt

This Sunday's Lesson opened with the song: “One thing Remains” by Kristian Stanfill

 

So what is fear?  It is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone/something is dangerous. I feared being a grown-up..LOL. Do you fear someone?

Deuteronomy 1:17 says - "You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it."
Do you fear being alone or is it Ok to be alone?
According to Psalms 68:6, God makes a home for the lonely - "God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land."
Do you know that your never alone..even in your darkest hours. Do you have doubts about this?
How many times have we said “I never planned for that to happen”? I’m sure it started with a doubt, we not lying about planning, it’s just that several bad choices were made without looking at the consequences. Usually we stray off the Christian path way before we stumble and fall on our face…or worse sin, before we realize we strayed. It starts with a thought..that leads to a word from the mouth…that turns into an action with the body.
Matthew 12:34 says, "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart."  So basically if you think it with your mind then speak it with your mouth…you start to believe it in your heart and then you act on it.
That’s how Satan works, filling our heads/minds with a littlest of doubts, fears, and/or dislikes. He moves cautiously and slowly with well thought out cleaver plans..that has worked for centuries.
So we read Ephesians 6:12,"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  Compared to modern thoughts about evil spirits, Paul pictured the churches battle for survival as a struggle against the devil, demons, and other evil supernatural beings.
Do you every doubt your parents/partner truly, truly love you? Do they listen when you talk? Do you spend time together? Do they not pay attention when ya’ll talk about problems?

Have you ever had someone say to you when you discussing your problems “Your parents/partner doesn’t deserve such a nice, sweet caring person like you” FYI…that’s Satan also working in them. Every time you take a tiny step off the righteous path, you justify your actions in your mind..example..you think in your mind if parents/partner won’t listen to me, that person who spoke such kind, caring word…will listen to me. Your are avoiding the problem not addressing…leading to a secret from your parent/partner.

We usually don’t grasp that Satan is never in a hurry, all he needs is an opportunity to put in a doubt…unholy self-centered thought in our head. If we don’t get them out right then and there, they start growing and Satan keeps going with his destructive evil schemes.

So we read Ephesians 6:10-11,18,23,24 -
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love."

Thoughts inspired by Joyce Meyer “Battlefield of the Mind”

Begrudged?

We've talked a couple times about forgiving and although I think we are all works in progress, I think we have a pretty good idea of what we need to do to forgive.  But what do we do when we have forgiven and the other person hasn't forgiven us or when someone is holding a grudge against you?
How do you deal then?
Do you have someone holding a grudge against you?
Someone being mean or just rude to you no matter how nice you are to them?
When we think of a "grudge" we think of words like hate, contempt, spite and hostility.  Now there are any number of reasons why someone would be holding a grudge against someone but usually it just comes down to envy and jealousy.  We could easily get caught up in the hate and jealousy ourselves and retaliate but obviously that is not what God wants us to do.
God wants us to love.
Contrary to what we have always been told about love is blind, Philipp. 1:9-10 tells us to love with knowledge and incite.  God never intends on us loving blindly and dealing with grudges and forgiveness is no different.
So why is this person being so hateful to you?
Well evaluate your actions and ensure you have done everything in a loving, Christian manner and your heart is right and if you still come up wondering why...perhaps this person is not experiencing the fullness of God and the Holy Spirit.
So what do you do about it?
Ask God for insight into what is broken in that person so you can have compassion.
If you don't have compassion on people like this, if you are not careful yourself...one day you could become broken just like them...bitter and angry.
So why are these kind of people in our lives?
Why would God even have us deal with such things?
Seams cruel, huh?  Not really.
Has it ever occured to you that these people were assigned to our lives...for a specific purpose?
God positioned these people in our lives.
To test us.
To grow us.
To teach us.
To make us better people.
So what happens if you have tried all of this and nothing works?
You forgave.
You continue to take the high road.
You always did right by this person.
And still they hold a grudge that you just can't get past.
We have to consider whether or not this was a relationship God intended.  Is it a toxic relationship.  Some relationships were not meant to be restored.  As long as we are obedient to God and we love, we forgive, we lay down our pride and give it to him, we have pleased him.  that is all we can do.
So maybe you didn't do anything to provoke a grudge within your family, at school or at work or with someone you once thought of as a good friend.
In 1 Samuel (1 Sam 16:15-26:25), King Saul held a grudge against David.  David didn't do anything to provoke the grudge, in fact, he had slain the giant Goliath on behalf of King Saul.  But when people started praising David for this heroic deed, Saul became so jealous, he began plotting his death.  After repeated evil acts and attempts on David's life, one day Saul and his men fell in a deep sleep allowing David to get close enough to kill him but he didn't.  David spared Sauls life even knowing Saul held this grudge and tried to kill him over and over.  You too can use David's strategy and not become vengeful by returning evil for evil.  Remember or lesson on "kill'em with kindness"?
We can look to Jesus as an example so we can also forgive the person holding the grudge against us (if we haven't already done so).
Matt. 5:44-45 tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
Proverbs 16:17 says "When the Lord takes pleasure in any ones way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them"
The Bible talks over and over about how God rewards not returning evil for evil and having compassion for those who may be our enemies or holding grudges against us.
So keep your Christan values and always be the better person because it will set you free just as it says in John 8:31-32 "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
Let it set you free.


Resources: Godlywoman.com, Loving Well Bible Study by Beth More