The fact that we are children of God doesn’t mean that we won’t experience people (including fellow Christians) treating us badly. In fact, we sometimes experience this more because the enemy will do anything possible to make life difficult for us and pull our attention away from our Lord.
The last couple of weeks I’ve been challenged quite a bit by spiteful and ignorant people. Fortunately, our Lord is faithful to teach us His will, and He’s brought to my attention Matt 5:38-42 (Message):
“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
So, while we sometimes feel that we want to strangle people, we should be nice to them.
Verse 44 says the following:
I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves.
We shouldn’t just be passive when people raise themselves up as our enemies. The Word tells us to pray for them. We should go before the Father and ask Him to help these people.
So my challenge to you (and myself) is to look for opportunities to bless those who are treating you badly, and you might just be surprised to see what the Lord can do.
