Word for Wednesday
Bless them which persecute you. Bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14
One of the most difficult things for Christians to do is to pray for and ask God to bless those who persecute us. It’s not easy to do, although we do have a perfect Example to follow. The Lord Jesus not only taught us to pray for those who persecute us (Luke 6:28), but He also showed us how it is done. He lived His perfect life according to this principle. And as men tortured and crucified Him, He bore their actions patiently, and prayed for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). Vengeance and retaliation are deeply engrained in human nature. But we have received a new nature, a nature that is capable of responding in the way that the Lord Jesus responded, rendering good for evil and blessing for persecution. But why should we do so?
In most cases, the people who persecute Christians are not aware of how wrong their actions are. Remember how the apostle Paul spoke of God forgiving him for persecuting the Christians, because he did it in ignorance and unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13) He was convinced that he was serving God in persecuting the Christians. And maybe some of the people who persecute us think the same. Although wrong, they are sincerely wrong, and we need to consider that as we pray for God to reveal His truth to them.
We also need to consider how dreadful will be the end of those who persecute us, because they are actually persecuting our Lord. That is another lesson that Paul learned when as Saul of Tarsus he was smitten on the road to Damascus. The Lord Jesus told him that in persecuting the Christians, he was persecuting the Lord (Acts 9:4). Such a terrible crime deserves a terrible punishment. Paul was forgiven, and for the rest of his life, he continually gave thanks for the grace of God. But what of those who reject the grace of God? They are forever condemned and eternally punished. Despite their opposition and hatred toward us, we must look on them in great pity, just as the Lord Jesus did. If they are not saved, they will forever be punished. And punishment is God’s department, not ours.
The most important reason for blessing our tormentors is the shame we ought to feel for being in their position ourselves before we were saved. We have nothing to be proud of in our mistreatment of the Lord’s people and in our disdain for the Lord’s mercies. Our hearts condemn us as we recall how we rejected the efforts of those who sought to bring the Gospel to us, as we spurned the great kindness of those who spoke to us and who prayed for our deliverance. We thank God as we look back and appreciate how those dear folks obeyed the words of today’s text.
The Lord Jesus always blessed those who were about Him, regardless of their attitude toward Himself. Let us do likewise. -Jim MacIntosh