Offense is Optional
Key Thought | Offense may not be our choice, but forgiveness always is. It’s the pathway to freedom.
Key Scripture | “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” —Proverbs 4:23–25 NIV
Wounds are inevitable. Life in a broken world guarantees moments of disappointment, betrayal, and pain. But while we don’t get to choose whether we are wounded, we do get to choose whether we become offended. That choice matters more than we often realize, because what we allow to settle in our hearts will eventually shape how we live.
Scripture urges us to guard our hearts because everything flows from them: our words, our reactions, our relationships, and our faith. Offense has a way of slipping in quietly. It often begins as disappointment with God when life doesn’t unfold the way we hoped. Left unaddressed, that disappointment can redirect itself toward people, circumstances, or even ourselves.
John the Baptist experienced this firsthand. Sitting in prison, he sent word to Jesus asking, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” John wasn’t questioning who Jesus was; he was wrestling with unmet expectations. Jesus responded not with rebuke, but with truth, and then added a powerful reminder: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Offense can blind us to the very work God is doing in our lives.
Hebrews reminds us that offense is a weight, something that entangles and slows us down. We are called to lay it aside and fix our eyes on Jesus, who endured suffering without allowing bitterness to take root. When He was insulted, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He entrusted Himself to the Father. Even from the cross, His words were forgiveness: “Father, forgive them.”
Offense is a choice, but forgiveness is a miracle. And when we let go of offense, we make room for that miracle to unfold. Healing begins, freedom follows, and our hearts become guarded—not hardened, but renewed.
Prayer | Lord, You see every wound I carry and every place where offense has tried to take root. Help me guard my heart with Your truth and Your grace. Give me eyes fixed on You, not on my pain or disappointment. Where forgiveness feels impossible, I ask You to work a miracle in me. Teach me to trust You as the righteous Judge and to walk in the freedom You’ve promised. Amen.
Reflection
Key Scripture | “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” —Proverbs 4:23–25 NIV
Wounds are inevitable. Life in a broken world guarantees moments of disappointment, betrayal, and pain. But while we don’t get to choose whether we are wounded, we do get to choose whether we become offended. That choice matters more than we often realize, because what we allow to settle in our hearts will eventually shape how we live.
Scripture urges us to guard our hearts because everything flows from them: our words, our reactions, our relationships, and our faith. Offense has a way of slipping in quietly. It often begins as disappointment with God when life doesn’t unfold the way we hoped. Left unaddressed, that disappointment can redirect itself toward people, circumstances, or even ourselves.
John the Baptist experienced this firsthand. Sitting in prison, he sent word to Jesus asking, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” John wasn’t questioning who Jesus was; he was wrestling with unmet expectations. Jesus responded not with rebuke, but with truth, and then added a powerful reminder: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Offense can blind us to the very work God is doing in our lives.
Hebrews reminds us that offense is a weight, something that entangles and slows us down. We are called to lay it aside and fix our eyes on Jesus, who endured suffering without allowing bitterness to take root. When He was insulted, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He entrusted Himself to the Father. Even from the cross, His words were forgiveness: “Father, forgive them.”
Offense is a choice, but forgiveness is a miracle. And when we let go of offense, we make room for that miracle to unfold. Healing begins, freedom follows, and our hearts become guarded—not hardened, but renewed.
Prayer | Lord, You see every wound I carry and every place where offense has tried to take root. Help me guard my heart with Your truth and Your grace. Give me eyes fixed on You, not on my pain or disappointment. Where forgiveness feels impossible, I ask You to work a miracle in me. Teach me to trust You as the righteous Judge and to walk in the freedom You’ve promised. Amen.
Reflection
- Is there an offense you’ve been carrying that God is inviting you to release?
- What would it look like to shift your focus from the hurt to Jesus today?
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