"THAT IRRITATES ME!"

Acts 15:36-4036 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

Hebrews 10:24-2524 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching

Have you ever gotten angry with someone over an attitude, habit, orspeech pattern that was driving you nuts?

What annoys you? Someone humming while you're trying to study? Loud music blaring when you need peace and quiet? There's another kind ofirritation that the Bible talks about: "irritating one another tolove and good works.

"How does this work? The New Testament word for "irritate" isparoxusmos and means "to irritate, to cause contention, to spur on,to stimulate." It appears only twice in the Bible. In Acts 15:36-40 we read how Paul and Barnabas had a "sharp disagreement" (irritation) over whether or not to allow John Mark to accompany them on their second missionary journey. He had deserted them on their first one.

The word irritate also appears in Hebrews 10:24, "Let us considerhow we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

"Here the word for irritation is translated "spur on" with theintended outcome of producing love and good deeds. Irritations arepart of life. The challenge is to use them positively. The next timeyou feel annoyed, develop a battle plan to respond positively:

* Resist the urge to bully others to conform to your will.
* Give it time. Pray that the annoyance will go away.
* Look for opportunities to do a kind favor for the person annoying you.
* If the irritation continues, take the initiative to speak the truth in love. Share how you feel and suggest ways of dealing with the problem.
* Work toward the person's highest good. Make a way for both of you to win in the situation.
* Strike a compromise when you can't reach agreement on who should change.

Next time you're ready to "punch someone's lights out" over an irritation, think about this verse and yield your heart to the Lord.Ask Him to bring love and good deeds out of it. --Dennis Fisher

DESTINATION POINTS

* Who irritates me? How should I pray for them?
* What action shouldI take to address it?

LINKS

When Words Hurt
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb011/

When Anger Burns
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb942/

When Forgiveness Seems Impossible
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb941/

bottom line: Irritation can lead to positive change.

soul journey