The Law in 90 Days: Numbers 1-2
SCRIPTURE READING
John 6:61 (NIV); Does this offend you?
Offense is a grave problem in the church. To offend is to irritate, annoy, or anger; it is to cause
resentful displeasure in someone or something. The definition itself makes the one who feels
offended the victim. But in our day and age where everyone plays the blame game, to take
offense is as much a sin as to offend another. We dislike an opinion or the way something is said
and we feel it is our right to walk away offended. We feel judged by a message and are offended
by the speaker. A friend doesn’t comment on our obviously new hairdo and we are offended. Our
guests don’t eat the casserole, someone takes our parking spot, we lose a board game and we
take offense. This is the state of society and the church and it is a sorry one.
Do Christ’s words offend you? What have you heard preached that crossed a boundary for you?
Have you honestly searched the Scriptures to see if, perhaps, the pastor was relaying the word
of God? When people remind you of the word of God, do you take offense? “You know that if you
don’t forgive her, God won’t forgive you.” “The sexual sin you are living in is blatant rebellion.” “I
think we should stop gossiping now.” “If we don’t love each other, we show we don’t love Christ.”
“God hates divorce.” Do the words of our Lord offend you? Jesus’ followers were having a hard
time accepting his words, “This is hard teaching. Who can accept it?” they said. And from then on
many turned away from Him.
It’s true that some people are tactless in their approach, but we are not held accountable for
their insensitivity. We’re held accountable for how we respond to God’s truth, however we maybe
enlightened to it. The words of Christ may be hard to swallow, but chew on them and you will find
that they bring life to the soul!
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you areas where you have been offended by Jesus through
the messages at church, the words of others, or through Scripture itself. Spend time in
repentance, turning from your ways.
2. Ask God for a strategy, a way to root out offense in your life. Commit to obedience in
whatever He asks of you.
3. Pray that you’d have a forgiving and merciful spirit today.
