Greatness
in the Midst of Criticism
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use
you and persecute you.
Matthew 5:44, NKJV.
TODAY’S
WORD
If you’re going to do anything great in life, if you’re
going to be a great businessperson, a great teacher, a great parent or a great
leader, not everyone is going to cheer you on. I’d love to tell you that your
family, friends and co-workers will celebrate you, but that’s not the case.
Some people simply can’t handle your success. As you grow and increase, as God
pours out His favor, somebody will get jealous. Somebody will start finding
fault. Don’t be surprised if a relative tries to belittle or discredit you. If
you focus on making everyone around you happy, you’ll start changing and lose
sight of what God has placed in your heart.
Friend, your destiny is too great to be distracted by
people who are never going to affirm you. Don’t take it personally. It’s not
about you. It’s their problem. Shake it off, run your race, be great anyway.
Greatness in the midst of criticism begins with
forgiveness. Don’t hold a grudge. Bless those who curse you; pray for those who
spitefully use you. As you keep doing what is right, God will honor you. He’ll
promote you, and you’ll see the dreams and desires that He placed in your heart
come to pass!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father, I come to You today with an open and humble
heart. I choose to forgive those who have criticized me. I choose to bless
those who have hurt me. I choose to be great because You have equipped and
empowered me to rise higher in this life in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“You come to him as living stones, a spiritual house that is being built into a holy priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:5a GW)
God says that you are a priest. Depending on your background, that may be scary or confusing. Peter is saying that the two benefits that priests have are now available to everyone who is a believer.
In the Old Testament, priests did two things:
1. They had the right, privilege, and responsibility to go directly to God. They could pray and talk to God, worship, and fellowship with God. Everybody else had to go through a priest.
2. The priest had the privilege and responsibility of representing God to the people and ministering to the needs of other people (serving).
Those are the very two things that are true of you when you become a believer.
You now have direct access to God. You don't have to pray through anybody else. You don't have to confess through anybody else. You don't have to fellowship with God through anybody else. Read your Bible, talk with the Lord, and fellowship directly with him.
The Bible says that when Jesus died on the cross, there was a veil in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies, where God's Spirit was, from where man was. Only priests could go behind that veil once a year. When Jesus died on the cross, God ripped that veil — about 70 feet — from top to bottom, symbolizing that there is no longer a barrier.
You have also been gifted for ministry to serve other people. Every Christian is a minister — not a pastor, but a minister. Any time you use your talents and gifts to help others, you are ministering.
"He saved us and chose us for his holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9 LB). Why did God save you? So you could serve him. A non-serving Christian is a contradiction.
How do you know what your ministry is? Look at your talents, gifts, and abilities. When you use those talents and gifts to help other people, that's called ministry — nothing fancy or scary about it. It's just helping others. Can you be a priest in a sales office? You bet you can. Can you be a priest as an accountant? Of course. Driving a truck? Sure. Any time you're helping other people in God’s name, you're ministering.
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