HOPE FOR TODAY ..... Thoughts on .. LIFE ..
By. Joel Osteen
http://www.joelosteen.com/HopeForToday/ThoughtsOn/Life/Pages/Life.aspx
One time in the Old Testament, King David was walking down the street and a young man started making fun of him, calling him names and even throwing rocks at him. He followed him everywhere that he went, just pestering him, wanting to pick a fight and trying to aggravate him. Finally, a man who was with David basically said, "Do you want us to put a stop to him? Do you want us to shut him up? He is a real pain." I love the way David answered him. He said, "No, let him keep talking. Maybe God will hear him and bless me for it." (See 2 Samuel 16:5-14)
When somebody is talking about us, instead of getting upset and trying to defend ourselves, we need to have the same attitude as David and believe God will hear what they're saying and bless us for it.
Jesus said in Luke 6:35, "Love your enemies, and do good and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great."
Every day I say, "God, bless my enemies, those people that criticize, talk about me, and try to make me look bad. God, give them a great day today." When you do that, the more they talk, the higher you're going to go. Sometimes I feel like I even need to thank my enemies! If it had not been for them, I wouldn't be where I am today. They meant their talk and criticism to bring me down, but God used it to push me up higher.
If somebody is trying to make you look bad by spreading rumors and telling lies, really, they have done you a favor. What they mean for your harm, God is going to use to promote you. I know this to be true because we have never tried to answer our critics. The more they talk, the more God promotes us. The more they talk, the higher we go.
Maybe at the office somebody is trying to make you look bad, talking behind your back, taking things out of context. It's very tempting to be critical back and think, "Two can play this game. They said this about me. Well, let me tell you what I know about them." No, don't sink down to their level. Don't let their poison cloud your heart. Learn to bless your enemies.
When we know that God is our vindicator and rewards us when we don't take matters into our own hands, that takes all the pressure off. We don't have to try to pay people back and get involved in battles that don't really matter and set the record straight. Let God fight your battles for you. If you will stay on the high road, God will take what others mean for harm, and He will use it to your advantage.
When we learn to bless our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we keep our heart free from strife and give God more room to bless us, promote us, and speak to us more.
Remember, don't become weary in doing good. At the proper time, you'll reap a harvest if you don't give up. That means, keep doing good to others whenever you're persecuted. Keep doing the right thing, even when the wrong thing is happening. Keep a good attitude. Keep praying for those who keep talking about you. Before long, you'll see God's blessings in greater ways, and what might have seemed like a stumbling block to you, God will use as stepping stone to thrust you higher.
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:17-21
