Paul’s Parting Shot
‘Paul’s Parting Shot’ is probably a poor caption for this Bible Bite and somewhat misleading. There’s a certain smugness that we can hardly conceal when we ‘have the last word’ in a heated debate. We may even gloat over the way we ended a tense discussion – our big parting shot.
“Well, my last word to him before he stormed out was.” or,
“I sent her a very up-front email to let her know where I was coming from. I closed it off with….” or,
“I ended the conversation with..” With what?
- one line zinger?
- a sharp retort?
- a stinging reply?
- a smart-aleck goodbye?
When we are under attack or being accused, to our shame, we sometimes respond inappropriately.
How did Christ respond? “Who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously…” 1Peter 2:23.
As for the Apostle Paul, he was being undermined by false teachers. His authority was being questioned, his motives were under attack and division in the ranks had erupted in
He said every thing he needed to say to set the record straight but with such a gracious spirit. The ‘hot-under-the-collar’ stuff that sometimes spews from our tongue or from our flaming fingertips was missing. Here is his parting shot:
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all. Amen.”
2 Corinthians 13:14
With all their problems, what did those Christians need? Grace, love and fellowship! Do you think Paul would be able to sleep well that night or would he be twisting and turning on his mattress wishing he could change the last line? Do you think he furiously ran up the road trying to catch the postal worker to retrieve the letter? Was his heart seized with panic as he realized the hurtful and damaging affects of his last word? No. His conscience was clear.
The reality of Paul’s intimacy with Christ was reflected time and time again in the gracious way he dealt with situations that would have naturally provoked and produced attack language.
Do you have a parting shot or a one line zinger that felt good at the time but now is haunting you? Do you have anyone in your Contacts to whom you need to say: ‘Sorry!” Confess your hasty and hurtful word today to the Lord and then make it right with your friend.
“Lord today may I appreciate more of the humility and grace of my Saviour in dealing with others; may I be thrilled once again to think of the unfathomable riches of Your love and in turn, show love to others; and may the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer, operate fully in my life today as the common bond that has eternally tied me to every other Christian. Help me to appreciate that we are ONE in Christ.”
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.
Warmly in Christ
Peter Ramsay