Keep no record of wrongs. (I Cor. 13:5)
Forgive seventy times seven. (Matt. 18:21-22)
If someone takes what's yours, don't ask for it back. (Luke 6:30)
Control your anger. (Eph. 4:26)
Love your enemies and pray for them. (Matt. 5:44)
I gotta admit, I used to think that the fruit of the Spirit described as self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) was all about the things I wasn't supposed to do in response to other people. And then I read the book called Boundaries, by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, and realized that Jesus did not intend for us to be doormats. That certainly was not His example.He overturned the tables in the temple. He rebuked. He cursed the fig tree. And even though He came to die for us, He didn't allow the mob to throw Him off the cliff before it was His time to die.
The fruit of the Spirit called self-control is not only about keeping yourself from climbing over other people's fences but also about keeping others on the other side of your fence when necessary as well. It takes wisdom and discernment to know when and how to do that, but to be a doormat is not only unhealthy, it does not honor God.
"... your tormentors, who have said to you, 'Lie down that we may walk over you.' You have even made your back like the ground. And like the street for those who walk over it. Awake, awake! Clothe yourself in your strength..." Isaiah 51:23 - 52:1
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