TURN THE OTHER CHEEK BY NOT JUSTIFYING YOURSELF
The first and most important responsibility of human beings is to glorify God. We are His greatest work and thus have the potential to give Him the greatest glory. While all of creation gives glory to the creator, humans are the only part of God’s creation that has a choice of whether or not to glorify Him. It is impossible to glorify God while justifying yourself.
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK BY CHOOSING NOT TO FIGHT
Psychology teaches us humans have the same “fight or flight” instinct as animals. When faced with a threat, we will either stand our ground or run away. Where humans differ is in that we also have threats on a social dimension. Feeling like our honor is attacked will usually cause us to fight. The problem with fighting instead of turning the other cheek is that it is always a losing battle. Think of it as a snare where the more you struggle the tighter the trap becomes. Or like quicksand where the more you try to escape the quicker you sink. You can't prove your integrity by doing bad things.
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK BY EXAMPLE
The only way to truly defend your honor is by living an honorable life. Just look back to nearly every political campaign. It’s impossible to sling mud without getting some on yourself. If you truly want to protect your reputation, let your feet do the talking. Be known for what you do, not what you say you do. When you engage in disputes, you are giving life to the fight. You can also think of the attack as a fire. A fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen to exist. Every time you speak about the attack, you are blowing oxygen on it. Every time you try to discredit the source of the attack, you are throwing sticks on the fire. Don’t feed the fire! Turn the other cheek and let your good works speak for themselves. Don’t confuse honor with pride. Oftentimes people will get their pride hurt and then feel like they must defend their honor. Honor doesn’t need to be defended, it just needs to exist. Do honorable things and your honor will speak for itself.
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK BY TRUSTING IN GOD’S VENGEANCE
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” Deuteronomy 32:35
If people are mistreating you, It’s best to let God handle it. He can do a much better job than you and you don’t have to get dirty by engaging in a mud fight. Jesus was the most innocent person to ever be falsely accused. While on trial, he made no attempt to defend himself.
He was so silent that Pilot asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” Mark 15:4
If Jesus kept silent when His honor was being attacked, don’t you think we should keep silent when ours is attacked?
Written by - Mike Verdin
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