Toxic Me
“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Today’s Text: Romans 15:1-13 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
I wonder how many of us would classify ourselves in the “strong” category versus the “weak.” Our personal experience and the Holy Spirit bear witness that most of us fall into the “weak” category more often than not. Most of the time, most of us do not act to “please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.”
The question of “who is my neighbor” is relevant here too. Because we could replace that word with “antagonist,” “rival,” “enemy,” or “EGR,” and our understanding of this text would be more on target.
But even though most of us are “weak” most of the time, Christ alone is strong all the time. And on the cross, He has demonstrated His strength in a way that is final and complete and cannot be duplicated. On the cross, He has taken upon Himself every insult that has been shot at my heart. He has taken upon Himself every insult I have shot at other people’s hearts.
It is His endurance that we are to learn from. Therefore, each and every day, we should be …
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12:2
The encouragement is that my sins have been forgiven through faith, and that I have been accepted by God through faith. And in light of that encouragement, there is no need to take offense from anyone, or to cause offense to anyone. I can focus my time and energy on hope.
On my way to the Long Beach pastors’ prayer breakfast this morning, I wanted to listen to a Carey Nieuwhof podcast during the drive, and the one that popped up that I had not already heard was “Spotting Toxic People in Your Organization.” I mention how I came upon the podcast because I don’t want anyone thinking that I think there are toxic people in Canvas XD.
Nieuwhof’s message was that we need to first self-reflect (amen) and then identify toxic people in order to protect our organization from them. I realized, though, that his strategy for dealing with toxic people was based on a goal of growing an organization numerically.
I had already started my blog by the time I heard the podcast, and so the two things were swirling around in my head pretty freely. Then the question came to mind, “What would the apostle Paul say about Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast?”
Now, I really like Carey Nieuwhof, and what he said makes perfect sense—if my goal is to grow Canvas numerically. But I realized that the apostle Paul, based on all of his writings, might tell Carey Nieuwhof that maybe growth should not be the goal of a spiritual leader.
Rather, the goal of a spiritual leader should be to imitate Christ and to encourage others to do the same—and then, let God grow the church if that is God’s will.
It’s not easy to grow an organization, but there are many resources to help guide us with best practices in order to grow numerically. But it is much, much harder to imitate Christ. And that is the goal that God has called all believers to.
My human flesh wants Canvas to grow numerically. And since we have been growing numerically, my flesh will even say that it is ONLY by God’s sovereign grace and ONLY for His glory. But my flesh resists, screaming and kicking, the voice of my Lord, as He hangs from the cross saying, “Follow Me.”
And my Lord says, “Follow Me,” not because He enjoys watching me writhe in suffering, but because He wants to share with me the joy that was set before Him.
Father, Your word leads me to the joy that is found in Christ Jesus, but my flesh resists and rebels. In the most basic matters of interpersonal relationships, it is hard for me to imitate Christ. How can I imitate Christ in the harder things. Change my heart, O, God, so that I may know the surpassing worth and joy of being found in Him. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
