“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)
As a pastor, you know better than most that unfairness is part of the human condition.
Criticism is part of the territory. Maybe you’re facing it from inside the church–a disgruntled member with a different vision for ministry. Maybe it’s from outside the church–someone who is at odds with your biblical values.
Either way, you can’t be in ministry long without hearing criticism.
You can choose to respond to the people who hurt you by hurting them. That’s the easiest choice to make, no doubt about it.
But God gives us another option in his Word: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV).
When people hurt you, they expect you to retaliate. They expect you to seek revenge. But God wants you to do the exact opposite.
He wants you to respond in love.
If you respond to mistreatment with love, you’ll keep the other person from controlling you. You can’t control when another person treats you unfairly—but you can control whether you get bitter in the process.
Joseph, one of the Bible’s great leaders, understood the sting of unfair treatment. Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and imprisoned unjustly, he could have grown bitter. But he said in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good” (NLT).
Joseph knew that God’s plans were bigger than any unfair treatment he faced.
As you start another week of ministry, commit to loving those who mistreat you. Pray for your critics. Model forgiveness for your congregation.
Trust that God will use even your critics to grow your faith and strengthen your ministry.
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