“When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted we endure it; 13. When we are slandered we answer kindly….” NIV
Corinthian Christians had become proud and vain, and considered themselves to be superior because of their faith in Christ. Paul is reminding them here what it means to really live the Christian life. He explained to them how he and the other apostles were living. They were not vain and proud, but lived Christ like lives. The three things mentioned in our text can give us some guidance in how we are to live. It will not be easy, but what is written here was what Christ demanded of His followers. If we want to live like apostles of Christ, we will heed these things, no matter how difficult they are. “When we are cursed, we bless.” In Matthew 5:44 Jesus said: “Bless those who curse you…” Paul and the apostles were living up to what Jesus commanded of His followers. Paul did not say this was easy, and he made no promise that it would be easy for us. We encounter people in our lives who strike us the wrong way, or vice-versa, and “bless” is not what we think when they “curse” us. It is a natural human tendency to retaliate. But as Christians, we are told to bless those who curse us, and to “turn the other cheek.” I can’t say that after all of these years of living for Jesus that I have fully mastered this, but I remember that this is what I am supposed to do. Frankly, some people make it difficult to “bless” them. This is one of the real tests of our faith. Jesus did not promise us that living the Christian life would be easy. We need to remember that not retaliating is part of our witness, and people really pay attention when we fail to live up to our profession of faith. Let this become a part of your mindset and your conscience and when you are cursed, bless. “When we are persecuted we endure.” In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus said: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. 12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for they so persecuted prophets which were before you.” When we are “persecuted for righteousness sake” we join an illustrious company of God's servants. The prophets were persecuted and the apostles were persecuted, but they endured. To endure means to maintain Christian integrity through all of the trials that life brings our way. We do not yet know persecution as the prophets and apostles did, but we need to endure, keep on keeping on, when the world goes against us today – and they are and it will increase. When people dislike you because of your faith in Jesus, endure it and rejoice that your faith is so obvious that it makes unbelievers uncomfortable. Endurance in persecution is part of our witness to the world. “When we are slandered we answer kindly.” The spirit of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is to not retaliate, as mentioned above, but to be kind, even to those who would call themselves our “enemies.” When we are slandered it means that someone has told something negative about us that is not true. Paul certainly knew something about this, for he was gossiped about unmercifully. When people gossip about us we are not to go and give them a “piece of our minds,” but we are to “answer kindly.” This too is part of our witness. It is very difficult to do this, for gossip, or slander, can cause a lot of difficulty in our lives. It just comes down to whether or not we want to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. Living like an apostle is not easy, but it is rewarding. We need to at least take these three admonitions seriously and take them to heart and really endeavor to be the effective witnesses for Christ that we can be. Bro. Joe
1 Comment
3/17/2014 10:53:21 pm
What a great way to get my day started by reading your couch tater each morning. I appreciate your commitment on doing this each day.
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