Why does one silver strand in your hair make you want to run for the Miss Clairol box? Why does one shining red pimple ruin your day and possibly make you change your plans to go out on a date? If you were at a wedding and saw a bride coming down the aisle in a beautiful white satin dress that had 12 yards of gleaming material if there was one black ink spot, a small mud stain or maybe a smear of lipstick on the skirt, your eyes would go to that spot and you would not see the beauty of the whole dress. Now that was the truth, wasn’t it?
I was going to an event one night and decided to put a last coat of fingernail polish on, the brush dripped a dollop of the sticky liquid right on the front of that black dress…I tried in vain to get it off, did I wear the whole dress anyway? That would be a NO. All I could see was the spot on the front of that dress and it was forever ruined. Point?
So many times people, especially in the ministry, have lived exemplary lives but something happens that causes a spot on their character and suddenly no one ever remembers any of the wonderful things they have done, they only remember a picture of them: crying, being arrested, sitting in a court-house or caught in some misdeed that has brought shame. I am not saying they shouldn’t be reprimanded or held accountable as much as anyone caught in the same situation, but I am saying that when it does happen we shouldn’t gloat! Proverbs 24:17 Don’t laugh when your enemy falls; don’t crow over his collapse.
If you wish to be today’s servant, then you must also resist gloating when you have been vindicated. If Samuel had been small-minded, he would have been glad Saul had failed the test because he was the only one who warned against the kingship. You might expect him to shout from the housetops, “I told you so.” How do we know he didn’t do that? Because God said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?” 1 Sam. 16:1 showing that there was no gloating, only mourning. Good evidence that we can be trusted with today’s anointing and today’s stigma is that we mourn when a brother or sister slips or falls. Cain said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9). The answer is yes.
I fear that the anointing many of us desire is largely delayed because of a rival spirit. We look over our shoulders and consciously or unconsciously, compete with one another. Virtually no consideration at all is given to seeking the glory that comes only from God, we want mutual adulation more. Jonathan Edwards said that the one thing Satan cannot successfully counterfeit is a love for the glory of God.
It is a temptation to compare ourselves to others, but 2 Corinthians 10:12 says, We’re not, understand, putting ourselves in a league with those who boast that they’re our superiors. We wouldn’t dare do that. But in all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point.
I am not perfect (and everybody said, AMEN), and I often say that I am a work in progress, but at least I realize that. Do I always mourn for the fallen? I am always sad to see anyone fall, be it minister, sports hero or Hollywood actor, anyone that people admire for any reason, but more-so someone who professes to know God, whether they stand behind a pulpit, sit at a desk or wear a hard hat.
If someone thinks of you as a Christian then hold yourself above reproach, and if your worst enemy fails, be compassionate, knowing that it could have been YOU!
Let us try to see the whole dress instead of just the spot, and if you are able, find some spot remover, the blood of Jesus, and help them clean it up!
Harolene.com 