Bless and Do Not Curse

-

     When you think about persecution, what comes to mind? Maybe it was that coach who hounded you through High School. For some of us, it was probably that click of people through our childhood years that tormented us in the halls of our schools. Maybe it’s a manager or boss, or even a spouse? Whatever persecution looks like to you, let it resonate inside for a moment. How does it make you feel when you think about it and the mistreatment? How does it feel when people are hostile toward you? When they harass you? Make fun of you?

     Whatever persecution looks like to you, for me, I have all manner of instances that come to mind. Yet, none of them matter when I think about the persecution that Jesus contended with. I am not making light of our struggles and this is not an over-spiritualized ‘we should just accept our plight’ sort of declaration. Our struggles are real. Be it the way other people look down on us because our situation is not the norm, or the way they cut us to the core with snide, backhanded remarks. However, if we think about the persecution that Jesus suffered, we can see that He suffered just like we do and worse.

     Looking at the Gospels, much like many of us, Jesus came into conflict with His family, His brothers did not believe in Him, and He was scoffed at in His own hometown. He had people talking trash about Him, Influencers and the Who’s Who saying He was a false prophet and even a demon. His closest friends tried to manipulate Him and vie to be His favorite.

     Then, He was tried for a crime He did not commit and found guilty by popular opinion. That is not even considering how badly He was beaten, His skin flayed open by the whip and He was thrown around with no regard to how it hurt Him. All his stuff was taken from Him and divided up in front of Him. Then He was made to carry His cross and was nailed to it. His friends had abandoned Him, some of which denied Him and one of which sold Him out.

     Everything He went through gives me pause. Because rather than be vengeful, He asked God to forgive everyone! Including the thief on the cross next to Him giving Him flack as He hung there. That is the Christ that died and rose again so that we may have eternal life! That is the Lord we are called to live our lives for. He could have ended it at any moment but chose to be obedient to the Father. He chose to bless rather than curse!

     Romans 12:14 is at the heart of what Christ did for us. He could have cursed all of us but chose to bless us with reconciliation with God and eternal life if we accept His gift. It also challenges us to become more like Him. I pray none of us must endure the persecutions that Christ, Paul or any of the believers of today face in various parts of the world. Yet, I pray that we can look within and see where we need to do more blessing, rather than cursing! To be more like Him, and less like who we have been.

Until Next Time,
God Bless

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post-Prodigal

-
One of my biggest struggles as a believer in Christ is who I have been, versus who Christ says I am as a believer in Him. I admit, I have allowed the self-critical voice in my head, or what others say and think marginalize the greatness of Who He Is in me and what He can do in me. In my past’s personal walk, I have had the tendency to be more of a Prodigal Son, than a steadfast believer. How many of us have had that: “Give me salvation, Father. All right, now, I got this…” sort of mentality?
I wonder, if we are being transparent with ourselves, how many of us have allowed our missteps, whatever it is—that abortion, that DUI, that undeleted browser history, that drug abuse or that affair—to label and imprison us? How many of us have succumbed to the smug, self-satisfied taunts of “She will never change! You know she aborted…” or “He is still just an addict. Give him enough rope, he’ll hang himself…” Or, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” Have you allowed your past, or what others say a…
Read more

Abide in Him

-
“Now little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”—1 John 2:28 NASB
     A few years ago, I would have definitely been the guy shrinking away in shame. Not only did I lack that abiding confidence, I lacked a significant understanding of the Gospel, of Grace and of who I was in God. I mean, I could have told you something that I thought might have come from the Bible. I probably would have told you that God wouldn’t give you any more than you could handle, too. Although that is not what the Bible says at all.
     I was that guy who eagerly sat in church all the way up to the point when I drifted away from regular attendance. I did the stuff, I worshipped on the drums, I was involved, and I served. But, I didn’t study the Word of God back then. I read here and there, did a topical devotion but it was all high, fly-over glances at the Bible. Broad strokes. I relied heavily on what I heard on Sundays…
Read more

Thank You and God Bless You!!!

-
In two days, Word Servant will have been up and running for one calendar year. In that time frame God has allowed 4,042 visits! He has allowed 370 views from Israel, 162 views from Hong Kong and 183 views from China. I scratch my head and wonder how some of you found Word Servant, whether you are using Google translate to read it or if English is a second language. I wonder what life is like for you in the Ukraine, Germany and China? What your spiritual lives are like? Are you allowed to worship God openly? Is the church state-run or separate from the government of your country? Do you have access to a Bible or is religion controlled and the internet monitored in such a way that you only get verses of the Bible from websites like Word Servant? Is it better to put the verse at the top of the blog, or can you follow the links that I provide to the Bible verses?
     When I look at the analytics of the blog, it is humbling. God has used it to take verses and thoughts about the Bibl…
Read more