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- Apr 25, 2006
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Faithful friend (2)
'... pray for those who persecute you.' Matthew 5:44
You try not to swear. You don't want to hurt others' feelings. You try and have a kind word for everyone. People should be queuing up to add you as a friend on Facebook, right? And yet no-one seems to be digging your new found niceness. In fact, they call you, 'God Squad' and other assorted names from the book of unoriginal Bible-bashing clichés. You'd go as far as to say, they've got it in for you. What's the deal here? 'Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's no getting around it' (2 Timothy 3:12 TM).
What?! You mean, the more I try and do the right thing by God, the more I land myself in hot water. 'If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world ... the world hates you ... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you ... all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me' (John 15:19-21 NKJ).
Don't take it personally. It's not about you, it's about Jesus. People get uncomfortable around truth and goodness. When people start on you it's because you're close to God's truth. That's why its important to 'pray for those who persecute you' (Matt 5:44 NLT) because they're closer to God's truth than they think.
written by Bob Gass
'... pray for those who persecute you.' Matthew 5:44
You try not to swear. You don't want to hurt others' feelings. You try and have a kind word for everyone. People should be queuing up to add you as a friend on Facebook, right? And yet no-one seems to be digging your new found niceness. In fact, they call you, 'God Squad' and other assorted names from the book of unoriginal Bible-bashing clichés. You'd go as far as to say, they've got it in for you. What's the deal here? 'Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's no getting around it' (2 Timothy 3:12 TM).
What?! You mean, the more I try and do the right thing by God, the more I land myself in hot water. 'If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world ... the world hates you ... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you ... all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me' (John 15:19-21 NKJ).
Don't take it personally. It's not about you, it's about Jesus. People get uncomfortable around truth and goodness. When people start on you it's because you're close to God's truth. That's why its important to 'pray for those who persecute you' (Matt 5:44 NLT) because they're closer to God's truth than they think.
written by Bob Gass
