Handed Over
Sometimes we think that as Christians that we probably represent niceness and goodness to those around us. We think that they will naturally be drawn to us because we represent Heaven and God. Kind of like a “Touched by an Angel” episode. Monica the angel would suddenly have a job somewhere and be accepted automatically by those around her. If there was someone with a tough shell that she had to deal with she would speak some soft and sweet words of love to them and their exterior shell of hardness would melt. Unfortunately it does not happen that way too frequently in real life. It would be wonderful if it did. Reality is we will face difficult people and difficult situations. Sometimes it will be to the point where those people will be threatening our life. Read Matthew 10:16 -20.
16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. 17 Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them. 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations. 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because you are not speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.
Common sense is to know that you will not be liked and will face trials because of who you represent. Jesus warned the disciples of this. If we love the Lord and are walking in His ways and representing Him in the world as we witness to those we meet, they will not necessarily like us. We remind them that they are not living the way they should. We remind them that they are in sin or in rebellion to God. We remind them that they have to make changes. Changes are never easy. Who wants to give up what they are comfortable with? Pleasure usually comes with sin, and we lovers of pleasure and self-indulgence. It is easier for those living the way of the world to get rid of you by being mean to you, or threatening you or even finding legal ways to get rid of you. From Jesus time until now men have been making laws or twisting laws to fit their needs of the moment. Even Jesus was drug through six illegal trials. The leaders were so against him that they twisted what they could twist and broke what laws they could break. The same thing goes on today. The public passes a proposition that is on the side of God and a few men who want to live their lifestyle use another part of the system to stop the proposition from happening.
So don’t be surprised at what you might face as a Christian in your work place, neighborhood, town and government. It’s just common sense that if they didn’t like God himself, they won’t like you. Just keep plugging along doing what God wants, and He will take care of you the best way that is needed.
