Summary: - Isa. 1:18 (NLT) - God wants to make our hearts white as snow - specifically in the area of forgiveness - offended - Matt 24:10 (NKJV) - an offense is meant to trap you, not the other person. Satan uses offenses as the bait for the trap. - you can't avoid offenses (Luke 17:1, Prov. 18:19) - we get offended when we feel: 1. betrayed (1 Tim. 2:13) 2. falsely accused - gossiped against, trapped, etc. 3. rejected - "The sick and poor suffer even more from rejection than material want. Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty." Mother Teresa 4. abused - emotional abuse can be even more painful than physical abuse 5. humiliated - to cause (a person) a painful loss of pride, self-respect, or dignity; mortify, debase - Jesus experienced all five of these offenses (Heb. 2:17-18 MSG) but didn't take the bait. - we need to see offenses through Jesus' eyes (1 Peter 4:1 NCV) - what was Jesus' way of thinking? (Luke 23:24, Phil. 2:5) - three things to be on the road to a white Christmas: 1. remember, I need forgiveness too (Rom. 3:23) - you will never have to forgive people any more than what God had to forgive you (Matt. 10:8) - if you are going to be on the receiving end, then you need to be on the giving end. Choices lead, feelings follow. 3. refocus on the real enemy (Eph. 6:12) 4. receive God's love (1 John 4:19-21) - receiving love gives you the capacity to love
