Pastor's Corner

2 Sep
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Mid-Week Challenge

“Sticks and stones may break my bones…” you know how the rest goes.  The truth is that words in fact do hurt.  They especially hurt when it comes from someone who has used their power and influence in a cruel way to advance their career.  We all know people like this.  Hollywood has produced plenty of movies that glorify the careers of those who walked over others to get to the top.  For the Christian, it has always been hard not to fall into the trap of using others to advance oneself, as the world does.  Jesus makes it very clear that the welfare of others should be one of the top priorities of our daily function. We are to do to others as we would have done to us, not as is done to us.  Sometimes it does not feel like we are making a difference, so it is easy to adopt the attitude of why bother.  But according to a US study lasting more than a decade, “deceitful and aggressive” individuals are no more likely to get their hands on the levers of corporate power than people who are “generous, trustworthy and nice”. https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/08/26/2005088117 

The report invited 671 US people to take personality tests first as students, then 14 years later when they had entered employment. Volunteers were quizzed about their workplace, roles and responsibilities, while their co-workers were also asked to share their thoughts on the volunteers. Researchers found that any advantage gained by the volunteers through hawkish behavior was cancelled out by a failure to work effectively with others. In other words, no matter how smart or talented you are, if you are not nice to other people in the process they tend to tune you out.  The study shows that the nice person doesn’t always finish last.   

Dealing with jerks will always be something we have to put up with in life, but we cannot let the behavior of another have a negative effect on our behavior.  It would seem like a simple move would be to bully the bully, but the Scripture proves lasting results are found in “killing them with kindness.” 

Pray about those who persecute you.  God sees and He’s ready to reward your efforts in ways you have not thought about yet.  Don’t give up on the lesson He is teaching you and the way He is using you to transform others! 

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:28 

Serving the Savior,

Bro. Jonathan

By: Dr. Jonathan Richerson

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