Non-Defensive

                                               When The Door Slams

 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;                                                         I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
                                                                                                                                     Psalms 91:14


       Our responsibility is to set our love on Christ and trust Him to defend us. God's response is exultation. He will set us on high at the proper time. This is an incredibly freeing thought; no matter what happens we do not need to defend or glorify ourselves.

       Our culture teaches us to respond defensively. It is a skill that each of us must learn and practice. Most of us assume that if we don't defend ourselves in a conflict others will see us as weak. In reality, the opposite is true. Nondefensive responses such as, "Let me think about that," and "Why don't we talk about this when you are not so upset," keep conflict from escalating.

       Christ is a perfect example of truth in this passage. Christ is God. He didn't have to grasp for deity because He already had it all.

       Christ was so sure of His identity that He was free to lay aside His position. He willingly stepped from deity into humanity. Because Jesus set aside His human will in order to do the will of His Father, "God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name."

       Each of us needs to surrender our need to exalt ourselves. Our Lord will work out His perfect will in the details of our lives.

Lord, in the conflicts I might face today, help me to speak the truth in a loving nondefensive manner.

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.