My Social Responsibility – Those Who Stone Us

Greetings Dear Reader,

What do you do if someone starts throwing rocks at you?  We all hope we would handle the situation well.  We all hope we would do as Christ would have us do.  We see here that Paul is stoned and they think he is dead.  What is the reaction of those following Christ?

They do not retaliate.  They do not speak evil of those doing the violence.  They return to the city, gather their things, and move on to the next place that needs Christ.  I am not free to retaliate against anyone.  I am not free to hate them or even fail to forgive them.

Those who stone us need to see the love that God holds for all of us.  They cannot see it if we do not live it even in the face of abuse, torture, and death.  When the world does not accept us we first need to assure that the rejection is not justified by our actions.  After that we need accept the rejection and continue to love. 

I cannot hope for others to see Christ in me if I do not meet them where they are with that love as my motivation.  It is easy to think these things and demand it of others.  It is key we demand it of ourselves first.  One cannot say “you need to do this” and not have already done it themselves. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."