MAGNANIMOUS AND GRACIOUS

Magnanimous And Gracious

 

One morning a man awoke with the above two words on his mind. Within two hours he had several opportunities to have them tested:

* The hotel clerk where he was staying failed to rouse his wife and him for their early morning flight!

* Because the porter mistakenly went to the wrong room and awakened sleeping guests, the man ended up struggling alone with their bags!

* The hotel overrode the man’s earlier reservation for a taxi to the airport, thus charging him almost double for an expensive limousine!

* The chauffeur took them to the wrong airport!

* After the man carefully placed his suit coat in the overhead compartment, someone threw a suitcase in on top of it!

After arriving home, the man decided to look the two words up:

Magnanimous — “Manifesting generosity in forgiving insults or injuries. Not given to resentment, or envy. Greatness of soul. High-minded.”

He was reminded of Uncle Abraham magnanimously deferring to greedy Lot in granting him the better land.

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.  Gen 13:8-11

Gracious — From the Greek word charis, conveying the idea of being kind; seeking to bless others.

The father was gracious to his prodigal son in prematurely giving him his inheritance, and in receiving him back after he had squandered it. Luke 15:11-31

In the heat of the moment, the test of true godliness is determined not by our actions, but by our re-actions:

He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.  Prov 17:27

There have been occasions when I have failed this test. How about you?

QUESTION – As we respond to life’s incessant and inevitable irritants, do our lost friends and associates view our re-actions as magnanimous and gracious? If we are serious about winning a hearing among them for the Gospel, that is exactly what they must be observing.