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5 REASONS TO BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU BY MICHAEL BROWN
By: lastdayschristians Date: August 22, 2013, 1:20 pm
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5 REASONS TO BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU BY MICHAEL BROWN
How did God deal with us when we were lost in sin and walking in
ignorance? Did he damn us to hell forever? Did he curse us with
eternal judgment? No. He sent his Son to die for us, showing us
mercy when we deserved wrath.
That is the pattern we must follow when dealing with the lost.
Otherwise, we will only repeat the cycle of hatred and anger.
There was a time when I too was full of anger, profanity, and
uncleanness, and rather than smiting me in judgment, God pursued
me with his convicting love. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “at
just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died
for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6).
And Jesus set the pattern for us!
Here are five reasons why we should bless those who curse us.
1.
EXAMPLE OF OUR FATHER.
The Sermon on the Mount is a counterculture, kingdom manifesto
where Jesus calls us to live by different principles than the
world and religious establishment live by. And in the Sermon on
the Mount, he gave this explicit command: “You have heard that
it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I
tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you” (Matt 5:43-44).When we do this, we are emulating God
himself, who “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt
5:45). This is part of our calling to “be perfect” as our
heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48).
2.
WHO WALK IN IGNORANCE AND UNBELIEF.
A few years ago, there was an atheist-inspired internet
sensation featuring thousands of people who recorded short video
clips of themselves claiming to blaspheme the Spirit. As I
watched the clips, I said to myself, “Not too long from now,
many of these people will be gloriously saved, sharing internet
testimonies and thanking God for his mercy.”As Paul explained in
1 Timothy 1, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a
persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted
in ignorance and unbelief. . . . for that very reason I was
shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus
might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who
would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Tim 1:13, 16).
3.
In many, many ways, we reap what we sow, and that’s one of the
reasons Peter gave this exhortation to his readers: “Do not
repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,
because to this you were called so that you may inherit a
blessing” (1 Pet 3:9).What do you want to inherit, blessing or
cursing? That’s what you should speak to others.
4.
WORDS OF ANGER AND FRUSTRATION.
There are certainly times when it is right to correct and even
rebuke, but we must always do so in love (Ephesians 4:15) and
patience (2 Timothy 2:24-26), remembering that, “A gentle answer
turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov 15:1).A
few months ago, I was reminded that we really don’t know what’s
happening in a person’s life. I had challenged the views of a
woman who consistently defended abortion on Christian websites,
and a few days after our last interaction, she posted this note
publicly on my Facebook page: “I want to apologize for writing
crazy comments about killing babies about your article. I was
trying to live without God and his principles in my life. I
thought about the happiest time of my life. That was when I was
going to church and living for God. Please pray for me. Thank
you.”
Here was a hurting woman, wanting to come back to God, yet I
didn’t have the slightest clue that this was what was fueling
her pro-abortion fire. Sadly, all too often I have been guilty
of responding to people quickly rather than thoughtfully,
thereby hardening them in their position rather than helping
them to see the error of their ways.
5.
AND HATRED.
This was Paul’s counsel to the Roman believers, following
Proverbs 25:21-22: “‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is
thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will
heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:20-21).Let’s break ugly,
destructive cycle of the flesh and follow in the footsteps of
our Master who forgave those who crucified him.It is the path to
life and blessing – not just for us, but also for those who
oppose us.
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