Jesus
was falsely accused of crimes, which He did not commit. These lies were
perpetrated by the Jewish leadership who were riddled with guilt by Jesus'
words, and jealous of His spiritual power and popularity with the people.
They
stirred up the crowd when the Roman official found no fault in Jesus. The crowd
chose to save a guilty man and send innocent Jesus to the Cross. This occurred
in order to fulfill prophecy and to pay our sin debt.
As
our advocate, Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us
(Romans 8:33-34). Unless it will bring glory to God, no one can deliver us to
those who falsely accuse us; and if they do, God works it all out for our good (Acts
25:11; Romans 8:28).
Humility
is always the best way to diffuse a tense situation (Proverbs 15:1). When
someone falsely accuses me, I try to remember that as long as God knows the
truth, the false opinion of others makes no difference in my life.
Like
Jesus, I do not need to use one breath in my defense, because God is my judge
(Romans 14:4) and Jesus is my defense (1 John 2:1). We do not need the approval
of anyone on this earth. It is nice to have it, but it is not necessary.
We
never attempt to please our self only, but to consider the needs of others, so
that they may trust God also, and be saved (1 Corinthians 10:33). Yet, if we
strive to please people only, we cannot adequately serve God (Galatians 1:10).
We
do the will of God from our heart as servants of Christ, and live as an example
to our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors (Ephesians 6:6; 1
Thessalonians 2:4). Our goal in life is to live as a praise to our Father God
and to Jesus, whom He sent.
Prayer:
Father
God, You give us Your Word full of wisdom for guidance in our daily living. As
we read the life-giving instruction and testimonies between each page, we learn
to live with compassion for our self and for others. Your Godly wisdom helps us
to make wise judgments through discernment by Your Spirit.
Teach
us to see life from both sides of the same coin, and to give people the benefit
of the doubt. Remind us to gather all of the facts before we make accusations
or form judgments about others, and to accept each other with all of our faults
and insecurities.
Thought
for the Day:
We
condemn our self by our unbelief (John 3:18); however, no one can legitimately
bring any charge against or condemn those whom God has chosen and who walk in
His ways, because He justifies us by the blood of Jesus.
