It is not what happens to us but how we react to what happens to us that makes or breaks us. William Arthur Ward observed, “In the face of unjust criticism we can become bitter or better; upset or understanding; hostile or humble; furious or forgiving.” In the face of any challenge, we can either rise to face it to the best of our abilities, with God’s help, or fall beneath it, succumbing to feelings of defeat, self-pity and anger. We cannot always control what happens to us, but we are responsible for how we react to what happens to us.
It is almost certain that sometime in our life we are going to be subjected to unjust criticism. Un justness does not give us license to react in a sinful way to what others say or do to us. Consider how our Lord Jesus Christ faced this kind of treatment — he always reacted in the right way. Peter tells us, “when he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” Paul also endured hardship and bad treatment: “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.”
Notice that it was their own countrymen who mistreated both the Lord Jesus and Paul. The Jews did not like the gospel that Jesus and Paul preached, so they tried to shut them down any way they could. In our day when there are different opinions circulating in our community, it is possible some may try to shut down those with dissenting viewpoints rather than opening their Bibles and discussing the issues. Those of our own community may oppose us, but we do not have the right to retaliate and fight fire with fire. We must learn to put into practice those principles that both Jesus and Paul lived by and return good for evil. Reacting calmly can be difficult when we are being opposed for standing up for what we believe are true and right principles. Paul explains how when he was mistreated, “we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.” We need to remember that all of us are God’s children and to treat each other kindly, for Christ loves us all, died for us all, and is not willing that any perish but that all may come to repentance.
Paul advises young Timothy to “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.” When there is strife, Paul’s approach is that “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
When we fear that some in our midst are attempting to weaken or nullify our essential first principle doctrines, it is right and proper to resist, but we must do so trying to redeem those in error. Paul knew that there will be those who oppose the Truth in every age. We should follow the approach that Paul told Timothy: we need to be gentle; we need to correct those who are in opposition that they may come to their senses, we need to keep on loving them even when we fear that they are going astray, and we need to pray for their recovery. Some may want to rush a quick fix to correct a problem, but patience takes time, and Paul advises us to be patient with our brethren, gently trying to help them to come to their senses, praying that God will grant them repentance.
There is no doubt that our community is being tried in these last days, and we must follow the example of Jesus and Paul and try to find the more excellent way. Jesus did speak up against the scribes and Pharisees who refused to hear his words and did not follow the law they claimed to uphold. But Jesus was so kind and patient with his little band of followers even as they quarreled among themselves as to which was the greatest. He simply got down on his hands and knees and washed their feet, even the feet of Judas Iscariot who had already decided to betray him. Jesus loved his disciples and worked with them to help them learn. He knew they were not perfect. Before it happened, Jesus prayed for Peter knowing that Peter was going to deny that he even knew his master.
Let us pray for each other. Let us willingly open our Bibles and search the Scriptures together, looking for the Truth that we may be one in spirit and understanding. Knowing that setbacks are likely, let us be willing to spend the time to be patient with one another; as our Lord is long-suffering towards us, may we be long-suffering with each other. Let us pray that the Lord will bless us and give us an answer of peace.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One