What to do when others talk about you

In our home fellowship we have been slowly walking through and discussing 1 Peter.   One of the verses that we camped out on a few weeks ago had to do with what should be a Christian’s response in the face of accusations (true or false).  As we all live in a fallen world we all have to face circumstances brought on both by our own stumbles and from the sins of others.  Anyways, last night and today I have been meditating on this verse that we discussed a few weeks ago.  I have bolded the portion that I am hanging onto the most right now.  Have a read from 1 Peter 2:11 - 25:

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.  Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe {them,} glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. For this {finds} favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer {for it} you patiently endure it, this {finds} favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting {Himself} to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

 I guess that in every person’s life there are times when you just have to make a decision to stop the insane behavior.  For the alcoholic, that decision is to stop drinking.  For the drug addict, that decision is to stop drugs.  For the porn addict, that decision is to cut yourself off from pornography.  As a three strikes your out person, I thought that I had already cut myself off from everything that was causing me harm … this was not so.  I was still hanging onto a relationship that has ultimately caused emotional damage to myself and my family.  That relationship is now gone. 

 

I always used to hear somebody quote a verse from Jeremiah.  It’s from chapter 12 verse 5:

“If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? …”

There was a time in my life when I would think of this verse and purpose myself to strive.  And for the record, in my flesh, there weren’t many that could keep up.  However, now I see that must not strive.  I must appropriate that truth that I am dead and my real life is hidden with Christ in God.  This life is lived by grace through faith.  My eternal rewards are not in tandem with what appears to be ‘good’ in the eyes of this fallen world.  As these truths have come to be my reality the above verse from Jeremiah produced for me a Rhema word from The Holy Spirit.  He told me ….

though you may not strive to run with men and it appears as though you are falling - don’t be afraid, because a gelded stallion will never truly reproduce

So.  I rejoice in my accusations.  I see God’s hand in taking me to deeper levels of dependence on Him.  Though it may look small, weak, frail, and humble - remember, the greatest among you shall be the least.  I must continually return to the cross where I laid down my broken life and by faith came to know Christ as Life.

 

What do you do when others accuse you?  Reckon on your true identity.  Have I ever stumbled?  Yes.  But, I have committed no crime nor conspired to do so.  I pray that those will keep on mocking me for it is in my letting go of selfish responses and leaning in closer to Christ that I find favor with God. 

 

Peace.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 8:57 amand is filed under Christianity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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