In fact, anyone who belongs to Christ Jesus and wants to live right will have trouble from others. ~2 Timothy 3:12 (CEV)
Have you ever suffered for doing what you believed in your heart God has called you to do? Or for saying what you believe God has called you to say? Have unhappy people tried to project their unhappiness on you by ridiculing what you know is God’s priority for your life? Well then be of good cheer because Jesus said blessings are coming your way! At the tail end of the beatitudes in Matthew 5:10-11, Jesus tells us “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (NKJV) Believe it or not, there are going to be many people who don’t take kindly to your loving, forgiving, serving and helping financially those whom God puts in your path. The dictionary defines persecuted as to “harass or annoy persistently”. When we try to live our lives in a manner that is holy and pleasing to God, people are going to get upset. Especially people who aren’t themselves trying to live in a manner that is holy and pleasing to God and the truth is, they aren’t upset with you at all. They are upset with Jesus; and we need to leave that between them and Jesus. We need to learn to identify the situation at hand and choose to step back and let the Lord fight His own battles. The Lord and His word will not equip you for arguing, especially when you are arguing with “a fool”. We are told in Proverbs 29:11 “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end” (NIV) God wants to equip us to be a peacemakers and to eliminate strife. When we get emotionally involved in other people’s beef with the Lord, we are doomed to failure.
Jesus told us in Matthew 10:34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (NIV) Jesus came to bring us the gospel and the gospel is a sword, it can bring people together and it can also cause division. We see this division in religious sects all over the world and even in our own families. Holding firm to the words of the Lord is going to bring discord in your life. There is no way around it. So, we have to expect it and prepare ourselves for how we are to handle it. Jesus told the disciples “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” ~Mark 6:10-11 (NIV) Of course Jesus is not telling us to leave our own homes and families, but the message is pretty clear. Shaking the dust off your feet is a pretty careless act. You don’t have to get all upset or worried or even mad about the dust on your feet. You just have to shake it off. God doesn’t want us to try to beat His truth into people. Only His Holy Spirit can enlighten their hearts and only His Holy Spirit can prepare their hearts to be enlightened. Ask God to help you lighten your load by showing you how much of His battle you are trying to take on. Ask Him to reveal to you when the enemy is getting under your skin by the words and actions of others. Shake the dust off your feet and love them just like Jesus did and you will be fulfilling the will of God for your life.
Never hold a grudge or try to get even, but plan your life around the noblest way to benefit others. Do your best to live as everybody’s friend. Beloved, don’t be obsessed with taking revenge, but leave that to God’s righteous justice. For the Scriptures say: “Vengeance is mine, and I will repay,” says the Lord. If your enemy is hungry, buy him lunch! Win him over with kindness. For your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience and God will reward you with favor. Never let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good. ~Romans 12:17-21 (TPT)
When was the last time you had to "shake the dust off your feet"?
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