DON’T LET YOUR BUTTONS BE PUSHED

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

Proverbs 27:3   

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What gets you riled up?

We all have things that we don’t like, things that tend to get under our skin and draw our ire. And often, the people who get to know us find out those things that get us frustrated and fired up as well, so much so that they know how to poke us from time to time and get us out of sorts. This act is commonly referred to as pushing someone’s button.

Why do I mention this? Because today’s proverb from Solomon touches on the dangers associated with allowing our buttons to be pushed in a way that provoke us into behaviors that are not in line with the Lord’s word and expectations. Look at this verse:

Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. Proverbs 27:3

The warning here is clear. Give way to the provocations of a fool and you can find yourself bearing burdens heavier that stone or sand. Let me give you an example.

You are overweight and everyone knows it. I mean, you can’t exactly hide it and it seems that every time you talk to someone, they have to poke you in some way about your weight. They may start to talk about how they are exercising in some way or dieting in some way or losing weight in some way that has allowed them to downsize clothing sizes. You wonder why they have to always talk about those subjects when there are plenty of other things to talk about and think they’re just doing it to somehow take shots at you and your physical makeup. So every time someone starts to talk about the subject of weight or weight loss, you resent the conversation and have even found yourself getting testy at the very mention of anything weight related. The weight of the words of others has pressed down on you so hard that you have become intolerant, almost hateful, of their comments.

This happens, right? The subjects might change but the process is similar. You get tired of certain things that are said or done simply to take a shot of you and become so aggravated that you become hurt or lash out or, worse yet, try to one-up the person trying to push your button by seeking revenge by doing or saying something to hurt them in return. In other words, you become as bad as the perpetrator who provoked you in the first place.

These provokers are referred to in the scripture verse for today as fools because they are intentionally violating a person by their lack of respect, empathy, and love as expressed by their words and actions. We simply can’t afford to allow Satan to drag us into the same foolishness that they display to us. As Christians, we’re to be better than that, to be the bigger person because we belong to the biggest Person in Jesus who taught us to turn the other cheek when someone does us wrong. He not only told us but He showed us in the way He lived His life, fully showing all that He was true to one of His most precious titles, the Prince of peace.

Friends, it’s important that we show others the same sense of peace when they try to push our buttons in life. Don’t let someone have the satisfaction of knowing they can work you up. Instead, display the confidence of knowing you are a victorious person in Christ, saved by His willingness to die for you and protected by Him in this life as you await salvation through His promise of being your ever present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

For if God is for us, who can stand against us? (Romans 8:31)

The answer is no one, no matter how hard they try to push our buttons. Trust in this now and forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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