Trouble - People on the Horizon

Well, what do you do with people? They are trouble. You would think that most people have your best interest at heart, but the reality is that most people do not have your best interest at heart, rather they have themselves in mind. Natural I suppose. One can read the Bible and find out all there is to know in about being self-centered. Sodom and Gomorah, Adam & Eve, Jonah, all of Jobs friends, the Corinthian church, and the list could go on and on. About the only one in scripture that was never self-centered was Jesus Christ. So how do I as a new pastor in a new church handle these situations that have come up where I assumed people have each other's best interest at heart but really they are trying to undermine me and the ministry staff of our church? Why do we constantly have to battle and struggle in this life against the flesh?

I can think of three answers...
1. Sin - We are sinful. We wreak with sin. The stench of sin that surrounds us brings us to a place where we cannot help but think of ourselves rather than others. We stink of sin when we let our own motives, our own desire to play the role of the "martyr" so that we can gain sympathy, it's awful!
2. Darkness - We are in a dark world. Just the other night, a big thunderstorm came through Pearsall and dump about 2 inches of rain, plus hail. But what we didn't know was that the storm had knocked out power. We would not have had any light even if we tried to flip the switch. So, we were in complete darkness and didn't even know it. How many people around us are in complete darkness and do not even perceive it?
3. Satan - He is seeking someone to devour and someone to use as a weapon against this church. The lioness will hunt a herd of game for weeks until she finds the weakest link and then she positions herself to attack and in the attack she will seperate the weak animal and kill. This happens in the church. Hello tares?

What do we do?
Most importantly!!! FOCUS ON LIVING A CROSS CENTERED LIFE!!! If you're in God's will, you will have trouble, but God will fight that battle for you! You live for Him. Praise be to God that He would find me in this place and care for me and love the way only He can.

Back to the question at the top, what do you do with people? Love them.