“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
Reading this verse in preparation for this writing, I was convicted by the Holy Ghost. I was living in fear. Now, those who have read my blog know I don't mind being called a narrow-minded racist, homophobic, right wing nut. Truth be told, I revel in that label. Why not? By modern definitions; it's true. I'm not afraid of labels.
What I've been afraid of is my tendency to react violently to unjust and false criticism. That kind of reaction is not only improper for a Christian, but has gotten me in trouble more than once. It affected me to such a degree that it was difficult for me to go to work everyday lest my quick response to some idiot got me in hot water. At work, I lived constantly on guard and avoided doing anything that was not absolutely necessary. Our “Thou shalt not offend” culture had me on the run. No more. I have no intention of backing away from my opinions or my beliefs. Jesus offended many of the people who opposed Him. I simply hope to emulate His ability to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” That is, I'm trusting the Holy Spirit to teach me to reply politely. It's a tall order.
Our society is crowded with fools, hypocrites, and whining children plagued with an entitlement world view. The rest of us cannot change that. However, there is a chance that God may save these people if they are left in His capable hands. The old folks called it “giving them enough rope to hang themselves.” The Bible puts it this way: “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. “
Give the revilers to God—He may not want them either, but He's their best hope. This is the response of the man who is blessed by God. Living right will bring persecution, that's a given, the response to unjust criticism is up to us. Blessing awaits a wise answer.
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