Forgive One Another Freely - 'MAY YOUR PEACE RETURN TO YOU'

How can you maintain self-control if someone is rude to you while you are engaging in field service?  When Jesus sent out 70 preachers, he told them to wish peace upon every house they visited.  "If a friend of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him," Jesus said:  "But if there is not, it will turn back to you." (Luke 10:1, 5, 6) We are happy when people respond favorably to our ministry, for then they may benefit from the message we bear.  Sometimes, however, the response is anything but peaceable.  What then? Jesus said that the peace we wished on the household should remain with us. In any case, we should be ab;e  to leave each door with with peace in our hearts, regardless of how people treat us. If we were to respond  to a provocation by getting  upset, we could not maintain our peace.

Strive to maintain your peace in all situations, not just in the Christian ministry. Naturally willingness to forgive others does not mean that you have to approve of their wrong behavior or minimize the damage it does.  Forgiving, though,  does mean letting go of any resentment for such wrongs and maintaining your own peace. By dwelling on negative thoughts and mulling over  how badly they have been treated, some people let the behavior of others rob them  of happiness.  Do not let such thoughts control you. Remember that you cannot be happy when  you harbor resentment.  Therefore, be forgiving! - Read EPHESIANS 4:31, 32. 

Next time:  Forgive One Another Freely - REACT IN A  WAY THAT PLEASES JEHOVAH

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