Don’t Bite

If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

- The Apostle Paul, Galatians 5:15

How many times as a little child did you hear, “Don’t bite?” or how many times have you said it to your children?

Most of the time, children seem to catch on fairly quickly, but there are still those times when the preschool teacher says to you, “Um, your child bit someone today.”

We patiently work at teaching our children not to bite.

Then, there are puppies. They are a whole different story, and it is a much longer process of teaching them to not bite. It is a natural instinct to animals, who bite both to defend themselves and to attack others. When they bite us, those little teeth are razor sharp and painful.

The Apostle Paul tells us that we do the same exact thing. But is Paul really referring to sinking my physical teeth into someone? No, but he is referring to talking behind someone’s back, gossiping about someone, or criticizing another individual. He is referring to a self-righteous spirit that tears down others to make us feel better about ourselves. He is pointing out our tendency to only see the faults and shortcomings in others, rather than the good.

Biting is the exact opposite of the Apostle Paul’s theme in Galatians 5. While telling us about the freedom we have in Christ, he reminds us in verses 13-14,

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Paul reminds us that while we are free to do as we please, as Christ-followers, we live by a greater law: the law of love. We are not to use our freedom for our own selfish desires, but to humbly serve one another in love.

When we find ourselves thinking critically of someone or ready to say something negative about someone, STOP! Take a moment to mentally list their strengths and positive attributes. It will change our perspective of them and lead us to lift them up and encourage them, rather than bite and devour them. For, as Paul says… left to our own devices, we will consume one another.

May we, instead, be producers of good in the lives of others, and truly love one another.

Pastor Ken

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