How to Respond to Critics

“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”   (I Peter 3: 12 – 17)

Jesus urged His followers to take their cross and follow Him. 

Peter who did do good and suffered because of it appealed to us to be “Followers of that which is good.” This translates the word, “zelotes” which means ardent lover. We are to be ardent lovers of that which is good. No heart is pure that is not passionate. No virtue is safe that is not enthusiastically believed.

If you do follow that which is good, you will be “blessed.” The word translated blessed can be translated as “happy.”

So, don’t be alarmed, if it is God’s will for you to suffer for the good, don’t fear it. It is better to suffer man’s wrath for doing God’s will than to suffer God’s wrath for doing man’s will. 

Do not be dismayed.  Keep hope alive. This hope originates within you. It is a mental state opposite of dismay. This hope does not rest merely in your temperament, knowledge is essential. Hope must have a reasonable basis. You must know and be able to explain the reason for your hope.

To sanctify the Lord in your heart means to set Him aside as your Lord.
Be ready to answer your critics. This requires study.
Our faith must be a first-hand discovery, not a second-hand story.
Show meekness, be humble and exercise self-control.
Fear called for in the text is respect, reverence, and caution.
To have a good conscience requires knowledge.
To be of good conversation means to live so that others have cause to speak well of you.

A saint has been defined as one whose life makes it easy to believe in Christ. All can’t wield the sharp sword of reason well, but all can wear the silver shield of innocence. Take heart – – –

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (I Peter 3:11)

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Some things are best said by the one saying them. This is especially true when the one saying them is Jesus. In the following He gives an explanation of how to respond to the drama of life. It is a nonpareil expression of how to relieve stress. To get us started He opens with a trio sampling of primary things over which we are often tempted to stress. Expand the list to include things which cause you stress and apply the same approach to them as to these three. Read the following slowly and pause along the way to contemplate what is said.

Seeing the crowd around Him and knowing human nature Jesus gave these timeless insights. They are as relevant today as the day spoken.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6: 24 – 35)

Observe that in conclusion Jesus allows for trouble, but having first told how to respond to it.

There is a song by Bobby Marley with the phrase, “don’t worry, be happy.” To alter that slightly, don’t worry, and you will be happy. Now, let your mind marinade on these items and make your personal prayerful response to Jesus. Don’t leave wiggle room in your response. Then go out and live in the light of these concepts.

Life’s Basic Requirements

I Corinthians 4: 1 – 2

Jesus has assigned you a management position. Isn’t that exciting? You have two important roles. If you actually occupied a suite of offices with your title on the door, it would have two words on it. Both are found in our text. They are: SERVANT and STEWARD.

In considering the following, evaluate your life in light of these roles.

Believers are to be the Master’s servants. Servants are under authority. All of us are responsible to someone or some authority. The Greek word translated servants is “huperates.”  In considering your role, let’s first evaluate it as one under authority.  “Huperates” refers to a subordinate officer wanting to and waiting to carry out the orders of his superior. It involves an eagerness to do the master’s will. 

The term translated servant was also used of an orderly who attended a military commander in war. The orderly lived to enable the commander to function and win his objective. When there was a command, there was no equivocation, only obedience. We live best if we live to serve.

Albert Schweitzer, a genius with a servant temperament, said, “The only ones among us who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”  In our mad rush for pleasure many have forgotten this elemental formula as phrased by this brilliant man.

Our text next refers to you as a “steward” and states that “it is required in stewards that they be found faithful.”

The text uses a second term to describe a believer. It is the Greek word “oikonomos” which means “stewards.” It meant a manager or trustee. Throughout the New Testament it is used to define the task of a disciple. As a follower of Christ you are responsible for managing your life. Upon reaching adulthood you have a management position waiting for you. You manage your life. The Lord governs it.

I have a picture of me made with former President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office. On his desk can be seen the sign originally displayed there by Harry Truman which states: “The Buck Stops Here.” 

That sign belongs on the desk of your mind. It gives you something for which to live.  It gives a sense of responsibility.

A good steward always plans ahead for the inevitable. The ultimate inevitable is death and life beyond the grave.

For the believer that demands laying up treasures in heaven by faithful service to your loving Master. Resolve to be a faithful servant right now.

For the person not yet of faith, trust of Jesus as savior insures where you will spend eternity. Not doing so also insures where you will spend eternity.

Reasons to Be Bold and Not Give Up

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

That promise was not made to you, it was made to Joshua as the mantle of leadership was laid on him as the death of Moses neared. Though not made to you, it is germane in the life of all doing God’s will. It is a living principle regarding God working in the lives of His people. If that is true, and it is, let’s explore how it is applicable in your life. 

First consider what God does in advance of what we must resultantly be cause of and not do.

Going before us means God leads His people. Always search for and be sure what you are doing is of the Lord. The provisions are based on following His leadership. If following His leadership, why would He not aid in accomplishing it. Logically He does.

In doing so He is “with us,” Don’t act like He is with you, act because He is with you. This is the provision of friendship.

If you are doing His will, he will stay with you, He will not cop out on you. In challenging times of resistance in opposition to His will be bold, He has not abandoned you. It is at those times His presence is most often felt most realized.

He will not forsake you. He will not walk out on you. Inevitably there are times you may feel He has, He hasn’t. Facts are fixed. Feelings are fickle. 

Now these provisions make some very important reactions  possible.

Do not fear. Waver? Maybe momentarily. If so, drawing on the provisions noted he was emboldened. When facing the farmable walls of Jericho, in confronting the coalition of armies gathered against him, and in dealing with the complexities of numerous other opposition he may well have vacillated, taken a deep breath, reflected on the fact God was leading him, was with him, had not left him nor forsake him …. and charged into the battle.

Don’t be dismayed. A dictionary defines dismay as “to break down the courage  completely, as by sudden danger or trouble; be dishearten thoroughly; to be surprised in such a manner as to disillusion.” In summary, to not be dismayed means don’t quit, don’t give up. Persistence is often the purchase price of success, push on.

These provisions are yours if you are doing His will. That is true whether you are undertaking a big project or going about your obligatory daily responsibilities. If you are in His will these provisions are relevant. Press on, be of good courage. Reflect, “… the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” 

A Hopeful Life – Part Two

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Inherent in new life are three wonderful blessings. Hope is the third following joy and peace. Our God is a God of the hopeless. 

As you face life with a commitment to Christ, let your heart sing with Mary Martin from “South Pacific,” “I am stuck like a dope on a thing called hope and I can’t get it out of my heart.”

The expression, “the God of all hope,” means the God who inspires hope, He imparts it. He is the Source of hope. It is insured by “the power of the Holy Spirit.” This type of hope isn’t simply a weak aspiration, it is a deep rooted expectation. Hope does not work apart from trust. It is the forward looking aspect of faith. 

In our text is found the enabling element for there to be joy, peace, and hope. The key words are “in believing.” A modern English translation is clearer: “in the exercise of your faith.”

The principle character in Og Mandino’s, The Greatest Salesman in the World, said, “I will make good habits and become their slave.” He suggests these habits. You can be a slave to good or bad habits. These good habits inspire hope.

Resolve:

1. I will close the book on pessimism and open the book of praise.

2. I will not keep score on what life owes me, but think about what I owe Christ.

3. I will stop looking for friends and start being friendly.

4. I will be content in Christ and stop whining about what I don’t have.

5. I will stop looking for others to help me and start helping others.

6. I will commit my life to the service of an imperfect church and keep in mind the twelve chosen by Christ were not perfect.

7. I will leave the choices of life up to the Lord and prayerfully seek  and do them. An old English lexicon reveals the English word meaning of hope came from a contraction of desire plus expectation. This applied hope means we desire for God to keep His word and expect He will.

“Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ … without hope and without God in the world. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He, Himself, is our peace!”  (Ephesians 2: 13, 14a)

“Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ….” (I Peter 1: 13)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”