Daily Bread - MAR/15/07

1 Peter 2:23 - Who being insulted did not insult in return, suffering did not threaten but handed it over to righteous judgment.

One of the easiest pitfalls to stumble into is self-defense. We all want people to like us, and when that is undermined by false accusations then we simply find it nearly impossible to entrust the accusation and ourselves to the Lord. Instead, we move in self-defense - which usually results in speaking some evil thing against the person who spoke against us. However, this is not pleasing to the Father and it is behavior that will not be rewarded by Him.

We can choose to fight our own battles and live with whatever gains we acquire through such means or follow the example of the Lord Jesus and let God both fight our battles and uphold us in all of His blessings that He has blessed us with. The Greek word that is used here is "loidoreo" which may be translated "revile, abuse, insult, slander, reproach." There is nothing that can mess up your day like someone reviling, abusing, insulting, slandering, or reproaching you, but Father is asking us to follow the example of His Son Jesus and hand it all over to Him.

We are called to bless when we are insulted and as a result we will inherit a blessing even out of the midst of abuse (1 Peter 3:9; 1 Corinthians 4:12). But how is it possible to do that? First of all we must be willing to keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:20-21). Beyond that, we have to step back and allow God to give us a burden for the souls of those who have been ensnared by such wickedness.

God will give us wisdom and insight into the hurts and insecurity that caused someone to do such a thing. Then we will find ourselves moved with compassion and can begin to pray for them that their lives would be changed by the mercies of Christ Jesus and the power of God. The most important thing is to not retaliate but to make sure that as God's people we have the correct response. As Peter has already said previously in this chapter, "if we do well and suffer reproach for it then this is acceptable to God" (1 Peter 2:19-20).

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org