“For even Christ didn't please himself. But, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." – Romans 15:3
Have you ever gone out of your way and invested your time to help someone, only to have them turn your efforts into accusations against you? You give them your best, you go the extra mile, you bend over backwards to help them, and then it blows up in your face. If you did something wrong or from the wrong motive, you could take responsibility for it and apologize. But, when no unwholesome word came out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need (Ephesians 4:29), and you are misunderstood, then there is no justice in their behavior towards you.
You can take courage and solace, however, in the fact that you are in good company (Matthew 27:39). Jesus was falsely accused, scourged, spit upon, kicked, forced to carry a heavy cross in his weakened physical state and hung by nails upon a cross until He died (Isaiah 53:7). He did not deserve this treatment. He did nothing to earn it by His behavior. Yet, He was bruised and abused for His goodness and kindness to everyone He met (1 Peter 2: 22-25).
In Matthew 5:44-46, Jesus tells us how to relate to people in this type of situation,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they?”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they?”
There is a higher calling for Christians. When we are falsely accused, unjustly blamed and misunderstood, we do not need to adopt a negative attitude or to strike back against the person(s) who berated us. Paul commanded that the Thessalonians (5:15) make sure that nobody paid back wrong for wrong, and he encouraged them to always try to be kind to each other in the Body of Christ, as well as to everyone else around them. Paul admonished the Romans (12:17), not to repay anyone evil for evil, but to be careful to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
We can, however, take a step back from the friendship or relationship in order to prevent any further misunderstandings and abuse. We do not need to repay insult with insult, but simply explain our actions and share our feelings calmly and without accusation. We can bless those who accuse us, because we are called to take the higher ground. If we do, we will receive God’s blessing (1 Peter 3:9).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us not to pay back a wrong done to us, but to wait for You to deliver us instead (Proverbs 20:22). Help us to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:28). Help us to work hard to help others; but when we are cursed, help us to bless; and when we are persecuted, help us to endure it (1 Corinthians 4:12). Thought for the Day:
The real tests of courage is to remain loyal, even when we are falsely accused; to endure hardships, even when no one notices; and to stand alone, even when we are misunderstood.
