29/07/2016 - BEHAVIOR OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD

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...not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.  1 Peter 3.9

Many people notice more on our behavior than in our message. If we are beaten and we respond with the same measure, some people will be scandalized at us, for because we belong to Jesus then they think we should be just like the Master. In truth, it is what we should be. Therefore, be alert and pray so that you never cause someone to have a wrong feeling about you, for, once you are of God, you must be a minister of the New Testament. 

Our words hold a tremendous power to accomplish works, whether good or bad; therefore, never pay back any harm people did to you with more evil, but strive not to answer in the same measure. There is nothing stronger than love. If you live in God, you will live in love and you will not make use of any weapon of the enemy. Only use your words to bless, lift people up and take them to know the Word – the Truth. 

Now, those who cause us some kind of suffering, even if it is some minor discomfort, where surely used by the enemy and, if we answer back in the same measure, we too will be used by the enemy, who will cause us great harm from that moment on. After all, we have become servants of the one we serve. We are strictly forbidden to give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). We can only give room to the Holy Spirit, who consoles us in all things. 

If you are insulted, don’t insult back; if you are stolen, don’t steal. Never answer back with the same weapon that was used to hurt you, but answer back with the love of God. Remember that if you leave something behind because of Jesus or the Kingdom of Heavens, then you will receive a much greater reward than the loss someone might have inflicted upon you. It is very profitable to give up anything for the love of the Lord, for the day will come when you will be rewarded.  

If God told us to be a blessing (Gen 12:2), then we should be. At all times, we have to bless people, because, if they speak bad about us or cause us troubles, maybe they were marked by God to be taken to His presence through us. If we miss this opportunity, we will waste the prize given by the righteous Lord. 

The Scriptures declare that we were called to do good, although many do us harm. Therefore, if we have another attitude different from the one we were told, it will not be good for us because we will suffer some kind of loss in our service to God. The best is to speak the Truth and thus, manifest divine justice. The person who was baptized in the Holy Spirit is authorized to act this way. 

Incredible, but true: we were called to be members of the Body of Christ, and thus, we are destined to do good as part of our inheritance, in order for us to attain the blessing. Those who don’t evangelize, who don’t tell others about what Jesus did for them, who reject blessing the lost ones, certainly miss a lot now but will miss even more in the future to come. 

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares