1 Peter 2:23 (ESV) — 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return;
when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him
who judges justly.
NOTE: I think the
biggest failure of believers today is how they respond to even the slightest
injustice. We are so programmed by our culture about our rights; our right to
be happy, our right not to be hurt, our right to be free from offensive words,
and on and on. We might not use those words, but the meaning is the same.
Consequently, we blow up at the slightest hurt, intentional or not. But, by
prayer and the Holy Spirit, we do not have to respond this way. God can change
us so that we respond graciously to people, and to intentional or unintentional
slights. That is the exciting thing about being a believer in Christ. We are no
longer slaves to sin, but are free to choose a different path. We can be
different. And we must be different in order to have an impact on the world
around us. So, how do we do this? The first step is to add to our regular
prayer, that God would change our hearts and change the way we respond to
events. It might even be prayer to recognize and to analyze why we responded the
way we did. And then we need to ask the Holy Spirit to change us so we are able
to respond differently to people. Ask in prayer to respond like Jesus did. He
will do it. It is an amazing thing. And it will have an amazing impact on your
witness.
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