Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 34:15-18
Ps 34:15-18
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (ESV)
1 Peter 3:14-16
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (ESV)
Suffering for doing something good is not easy to take. Being reviled or maligned by others when you have only done what is right is not any fun and can really hurt deeply. Knowing that others are actually believing false rumors and accusations about you is a part of being persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Jesus spent three years dealing with this and Paul spent a lot of his adult life accepting it.
It seems that any time one tries to go against the flow of society (civil, political, or religious) there will be those who will attack that person. The reasons for this are many but they can be summed up because the ones doing it feel threatened. It may be because they are being exposed in their errors or they see their following going after others, or their ego is hurt by being told openly that they are wrong.
You are who you are. If you have studied the word of God and you have arrived at your conclusion about what is right, hold to it. You are not defined by what others think or say about you. God knows your heart. But the flip side of this is that God knows if you are really seeking truth and praying for wisdom. The majority does not define truth. Traditions certainly do not determine truth. Well-meaning and trusted advisors cannot decide for you what is right or wrong. Jesus is truth. God’s word is truth. Seek truth, pursue righteousness, trust God. He is your Rock.
O Lord God, give your people a revival so that we can know better how to live for you and be what you want us to be. Help us reach out to those who are lost. But give each of us a heart of love that will attract others to Jesus and not repel them from you. Give us a revival of genuine love so that we will make every effort to maintain the unity you have given us among your family. Keep me from being selfish, egotistical, vain, or thinking that I am better than others. Thank you for your grace that makes me what I am in Jesus. In his name I pray.
Robert
