Destroying the Root of Racism by Ron Webb

Author:Ron Webb [Webb, Ron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781633081840
Google: 5bqVjgEACAAJ
Publisher: Chalfant Eckert Publishing
Published: 2015-10-19T02:38:07+00:00

CHAPTER 9

A Pure Heart

Consistent In Character

I’ve been the victim of racial discrimination on many occasions, and I know firsthand how deeply it hurts to be judged by the color of your skin. I’ve never experienced anything more degrading or humiliating. At times it seems impossible not to react defensively when someone mistreats you. However, I learned early on that no matter how deeply someone hurts you, you cannot let their actions affect your character. Consistency is powerful. When you become so in tune with God that you don’t let people change who you are in Him, you’ll find peace and strength like you’ve never known.

Strength of character is a mark of maturity. All great men in the Bible had this in common—Joseph, David, Job, and Jesus, to name a few. Even in times of great adversity, they were steadfast in their faith and let God guide their actions.

This is most apparent in the life of Jesus. The issues faced as a victim of racism are extraordinarily similar to those Jesus faced in His own life. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:15:

“For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

In Jesus’ time, the land was occupied by Rome, a nation which considered Jews to be filth, and Romans persecuted them mercilessly. Not only that, but Jesus was also hated by people of His own race. The people He grew up with rejected and mocked Him. Everywhere He went, He was met with hatred, confrontation, and even violence. Yet in all this, He never once reacted with anger; never once did He try to hurt those who had hurt Him; never once did His character falter. Instead, He exuded love and displayed mercy.

How did He accomplish all of that? We see the answer in John 12: 49:

“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.”

Jesus only reacted with love, and only spoke what the Father told Him. He let God guide Him by aligning His character with God’s character. Imagine what would happen if more of us lived our lives that way. What would happen if we only spoke from the heart of God? Well, the world would be a lot different.

Another prime example of character can be found in the life of Joseph. He was betrayed by his own brothers. They threw him into a pit, then sold him to passing slavers. He spent the next several years of his life in slavery and a good deal of time in prison, all because of what his brothers had done.

If anyone ever had a reason to be bitter or to hate those who had hurt them, it was Joseph. However, a time came when Joseph had the opportunity to either save his family or let them starve. Their lives were literally in his hands.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.