You Still Hold the Key
ICS Daily Devotions
Colossians 4:6 (NKJV) Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
One potential blind spot in our lives is how our words, actions, tone, or even silence genuinely affect the people around us. For instance, we might come across as arrogant when trying to be confident, be draining to others or exclude others unintentionally.
For example, because of China’s one-child policy, many adults grew up receiving attention from six adults. Used to being the centre of attention, they speak openly, tend to express their desires, and can be high maintenance. Unknowingly, they may also exclude those whom they perceive to be from a different social class.
Those from the old-school corporate world might be accustomed to speaking loudly and authoritatively. As such, their words, tones, and body language may convey an aggressive tone, creating a toxic work environment. However, the Bible teaches us to be gracious with our speech and to control our tongue. The tongue, though small, is comparable to a spark that sets the whole forest on fire! We should speak words that build up and edify.
Another potential blind spot is self-perception vs. reality, which is the gap between how we see ourselves and how others perceive us.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, asked Jesus to let them sit at His right and left. They thought highly of themselves, but Jesus did not think they could handle the responsibility that accompanied the position. Similarly, some people think highly of themselves and demand that their importance be acknowledged. However, that’s how they perceive themselves; it might not be how others see them.
Luke 14:8-11(NKJV) “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honourable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
It is always better to be humble, and it is wiser to be called to leadership or to sit in a position of importance rather than assume that we are the best. As long as our identity is in Christ, we don’t need to feel rejected, insecure, or constantly need to feel important.
God has given us the freedom to choose, including whether we decide to make necessary changes when our blind spots have been revealed. The Holy Spirit is gentle but has an authoritative voice within our hearts when He guides us to make the right choice. Nonetheless, we still hold the key to the decision despite the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of the Word of God.
Sermon Series: Do You Have A Blind Spot in Your Life
