Luke 6:26-28 “Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for they spoke well of the false prophets in ancient times. But I say – Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you.”
Why should we care if people treat us in the same manner as they treated false prophets? The important question is “Why were those prophets false?” John 12:42 states that many of the leaders actually believed in Jesus, but they were unwilling to openly confess Him “for they feared being thrown out of the synagogue. They desired the praise from men more than the praise from God.” When our driving motive is to have people speak well of us, then we become false like the false prophets of old.
For years I have seen all manner of leaders gather a following in churches and become addicted to human praise. When their audiences increase to include those outside of church, the love of human praise becomes their Achilles heel. Rather than influencing the world, they compromise for more praise. Some eventually walk away, believing all they stood for was a lie.
Years ago, I spoke with a minister about my time working and training in the art-world; how I desperately needed God’s wisdom and courage every day. He said that contrary to my experience, he had never found it difficult to stand for the truth. A few years later he returned to university to work on his doctorate. The majority of the people in that program had strong anti-Christian views. The next time I met him, he had seriously compromised his beliefs. I realized that until he changed his surroundings and returned to university, he had never been deeply criticized for his beliefs by people from whom he desired praise.
I am doing everything I know to help my children become strong people of principle – to be true to what they believe. Yet, I know that when they stand for their beliefs, they will risk being criticized and rejected. This is why Jesus added “love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.” This, in many ways, is where the Church has failed. It is challenging to stand for your principles and to pray for those who curse you for standing. Though we may not feel up to the challenge, Jesus is offering us His grace to walk this path of strength. We must be armed with desiring foremost to please God, never fearing rejection, and blessing those who curse. It is this combination that allows the power of His truth to truly shine.