“And these are they…. who have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward….. they are offended” (Mark 4:16-17 abbreviated).
If the devil ever finds out you are easily offended, you will get high blood pressure and spend the rest of your life upset. You’ll be upset in church, at home, on the job, and in all your relationships. You’ll be upset for the rest of your life.
Regarding church, you won’t survive it. In fact, according to Jesus, you won’t even last in the Christian life. Why? Not because somebody did you wrong. That’s a given. It happens to us all. But rather because you are shallow… have no root or depth within yourself…. are easily offended, and therefore endure only a short time.
Here we see that God places the onus entirely upon us – not others. It’s not about what people have done TO you that matters. It’s how you REACT to what has been done to you that matters. It is your responsibility to grow up, act like an adult, quit whining, develop depth of character, and endure the offense.
So you didn’t get your way? So what? Who does?
Still nursing some old wounds? Get over it.
Can’t get over something that happened? Move on.
If you are easily upset, you are a prisoner to your own emotions, the devil, and circumstances. Do you really want to live that way?
It’s not uncommon that people will actually stop serving the Lord over petty offenses. Not earth-shattering events… but petty issues. In the quarter-century that I have been living for God and serving in churches, most offenses I have witnessed in other people were over a bunch of nothing. Yet, it was enough to knock them out of the race. It’s not really about the offense… it’s about how shallow and temperamental the person is. Jesus Himself said so.
A closing word to the mature…
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165 KJV).