Pastor John,
While praying today the Lord told me, all transgression is against Him, there is no transgression against me- the person. I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be a reflection of my Father in Heaven. I am supposed to decrease, while He increases in me. If I will humble myself and realize that I am nothing, that is my safety, my security. That will keep me from ever being offended.
When Jesus walked the earth, he took nothing personally, he was nothing, he was no one – in his eyes; he was a worm. Jesus knew all spite, all hatred, all malice, all wickedness and misunderstanding that was directed at him, was really aimed at his heavenly Father. And he prayed for those who felt that way- that God would forgive them for their attitude, toward God, not him!
If we will walk in that place, knowing we are nothing, it makes it very easy to forgive. In that place we can’t be offended. We can easily pray for those who misunderstand or aim to hurt us, or do so without intending to. We can seek the Lord for them as Jesus did, knowing that all praise heaped upon us by men, for doing well, belongs to God. And all hatred heaped upon us by men, for doing well, belongs to God as well. We can just pray for them, knowing that God watches over our soul.
The Lord told me once, many years ago, “Taking care of you is what I do, while you are taking care of other people.”
Jerry