The Words of Others

From October 25, 2010

Entire text for the day Mark 2:13 - Luke 7:23

Matthew 5:11-12

11) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12) Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Luke 6:22-23

22) Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. 23) Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for behold your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Words can be such powerful things. Through the use of words one can uplift an entire nation, and tear down a person's life. There has been many talk of words in the news today. Bullying has taken center stage as people have resorted to taking their lives after enduring such harsh words.

How should one deal with bullying and other harsh words? False stories that are spread to demean your character in the eyes of others ? Misconceptions that have been repeated or construed solely for the benefit of the perpetrator?

The Bible tells us that those of us on the receiving end of such treatment will be blessed for our efforts of endurance. Some may read the passages and say "no, one will only be blessed if they are persecuted for Christ." That is true. However, take this into account. How often will one tell you the reason why they are spreading such slanderous lies? Most of them will never admit their acts to your face. Lies are usually spread when there is nothing truthful about your behavior that can be used against you. What does this all mean?

When you try to model your life in the way God instructs us to, there is very little that people can use against us. Instead, they create falsities to tear down our desecrate our reputations, and to make us feel low. Since our way of living is in the way of Christ, we are being reviled for His sake. Now if we were to stoop to the level of those who are busy mud-slinging, gone are those blessings that we are promised. For our behaviour is not that of Christ.

These verses were too inspire us in our time of frustration with the acts of others. We are told to hold on to joy and be glad. That may seem a very difficult task, but Jesus not only said it, he lived it as false witnessed came before the high priest and told lies in order for Christ to be crucified. (Matthew 26:60-61)

Not only do the verses serve as inspirations, they also serve as a warning. Christ is letting us know, they dealt badly with the prophets, they dealt badly with Him and they will deal badly to you. Keep this in mind when you hear that rumour or that lie and know that although we may feel discouraged, we will blessed for the evil deeds committed against us.

In Christ's love,
Phoebe Jane