People Will Let You Down

1 Peter 3:8, 9 "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."

I am so sick and tired of people letting me down. They make promise after promise and never fulfill them. They use that "he said, she said" stuff to attack your character, question your motives, and insinuate something negative. They never speak the whole truth, only their perception of the truth, which usually is totally untrue. Yes, people will let you down more than once and also very often.

But you say, "Pastor, how can you do your job and be tired of dealing with people?" Well, to put it very frankly, it's not easy-especially when you deal with the same issues over and over. So from a pastor's point of view let me share some things that could turn the tide and make things better.

(1) Don't make a promise that you can't keep. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 CEV "God doesn't like fools. So don't be slow to keep your promises to God. It's better not to make a promise at all than to make one and not keep it. Don't let your mouth get you in trouble! And don't say to the worship leader, "I didn't mean what I said." God can destroy everything you have worked for, so don't say something that makes God angry."

(2) Determine to lift up someone and not drag them down-Hebrews 10:23-25 CEV "We must hold tightly to the hope that we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer."

(3) Don't let someone down-Galatians 5:13, 14 "My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself."

Make up your mind to be a blesser and not an intimidater. You will be glad that you did in the end.