No Excuses in Relationship with Others
As we go through life it is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking we are someone that we aren’t as well as viewing others in the wrong way. Steve mentioned self-deception and its ability to cause us to be in The Box in our relationship toward others. Look at these quotes from the book, “Leadership and Self-deception.”
“Self-deception obscures the truth about ourselves, corrupts our view of others and our circumstances, and inhibits our ability to make wise and helpful decisions.”
“I saw others as less than they were—as objects with needs and desires somehow secondary to and less legitimate than mine. But I couldn’t see the problem with what I was doing. I was self-deceived—or, in the box.”
Read: Luke 10:25-37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
After reading this story Jesus told about loving your neighbor, can you identify who was viewing others as an object and bother and who saw others as an opportunity to love?
How do you view others as you travel through your work week?
Are you someone who is bothered by others? Or do you see others as an opportunity to love?
No Excuses Challenge
Today, make it a point to see others as an opportunity to show the Love of Christ. Go out of your way to offer a helping hand, a compliment, a pat on the back, and words of encouragement.
Extra Credit: Explain this devotion to someone at work and ask them to rate you in this area by what they observe.
“Bad men excuse their faults; good men abandon them.”
Author Unknown
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