Woe To Us If People Speak Well Of Us

-March 28, 2023-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

(Luke 6:26).

When Jesus was here on earth He was hated by many for the simple reason that He spoke the truth about sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. His words and actions made many people uncomfortable. The reason is that people love darkness more than light because their deeds are evil. In the days of the OT and NT, speaking the Word brought consternation and condemnation to the godly. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Daniel, and many others serve as examples to us.

It is clear that we speaking of how we are perceived when we ally ourselves with our Lord and Savior, not how we live as good people. God wants us to be light and salt, to have our behavior excellent among the Gentiles as it were. If we do wrong, we should never say we are being persecuted, for there are consequences for bad actions. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:17, “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” If we come in late, perform poorly in our work, exceed the speed limit, lie or not tell the whole truth, gossip, or treat others badly, we should expect to suffer the consequences. But when we do what right, speak right, and proclaim the name of Jesus, we should expect to be shunned, excluded, and maligned.

When we stand for the Lord, speak His Word, and live holy lives, we will never be popular, nor should we try to be. Jesus said in Luke 6:22-23, “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast our your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.” The key is “for the Son of Man’s sake.” When we are conformed to Christ, we won’t be conformed to this world.

We know we are on the right track with and for Christ when we are persecuted for the sake of Christ. Conversely, we should worry if everyone speaks well of us. Being politically correct is not being spiritually correct. We should always hate the sin, but love the sinner; we should care more the kingdom of God and souls of people more than our personal success, fame, or fortune.

Have a blessed day seeking the approval of God, not the approval of people. Stay safe and healthy.

Doing all for sake of Jesus,

Dean