January 7, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Toxic Relationships

Toxic relations are destroying not only the lives of many Christians but hindering their walk with the Lord. Like I stated in the previous article, there are many kinds of relationships—some are good and wholesome while others destroy the persons that are involved in ‘destructive relationships’.

Jesus warned that “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household,” Matthew 10:36. But, often Jesus and His disciples continued to give warnings about individuals that want to have position and authority over others. These are people who prey on those who are weak. We can become weak when we think “love alone can change people” or “if I love someone they will treat me with kindness.”

Remember, God loves us all and His love is far greater and more abundant than all the love I could possibly show in this lifetime. Yet, people have and will continue to reject the impact of His love on the human race and continue to display selfish and destructive behavior.

We need to avoid people who are toxic to “our choice” in serving Christ. We should never enable people to destroy their own lives or others around them. Today we are told over and over again in the media, public education and even in some of our churches that we must accept each other and never display any kind of judgment on their character. This is opposite of the teachings of Christ.

Love demands balance and correctness. Once we accept an individual without requiring them to produce works and words of kindness, purity, faithfulness or wisdom then we are part of their corrupt deeds. When did God ever want us to promote evil behavior?

This is indeed a challenge for the Church today—to avoid toxic relationships and our acceptance of toxic relational behavior. As John stated in the epistles, “If you love God you will keep God’s commandments—this is how we know we love God and our fellow human being.” What are God’s commandments? The center of His commandments is stated in the Sermon on the Mount, Gospel of Matthew chapters 5-7.

It is not easy to obey Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, but this is the only way to avoid toxic relationships. Come on Church; let’s love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind! It is time to put toxic people on notice and not allow their influence over our lives.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.