What Did They Say About…? – Part 1

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Freedom Fighters

“For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.” – Ecclesiastes 7:20-22 (NKJV)

Let me kick this off with a question, is it wise to ignore what people say about us? For the most part it probably isn’t because we are gonna hear something that doesn’t sit well with us and we’ll become offended, which, by the way, isn’t something that Christians should become. If we’ve truly taken what is written in Romans 12:1-2 to heart, then a living sacrifice, and a renewed mind, cannot become offended by anything anyone ever says or thinks about us. But what if it isn’t offensive, suppose it’s complimentary, well then there’s a possibility that it’ll puff up our pride and then it becomes more of a “step aside mere drop of water and allow the ocean to pass” mentality doesn’t it?

But what of criticisms? Aren’t we allowed to critique something and give our slant on it? Well, there’s a good possibility that not only will folks become offended but they’ll get defensive and then wanna lash out in some form or another against the one with the criticism. But what if you asked for it? Well, speaking for myself, I do ask for it at the bottom of every Freedom Fighter I’ve written. Sometimes I’ve received the bestest e-mails from our readers and I’ll thank them for their kind words and feel good that God allowed me to communicate something that struck a chord with them. Then there are the ones that aren’t the bestest because they’ll say I used too many words or I sounded like a 3^rd grader with my use of words. So, to those criticisms all I can say is not everything I write is gonna be a zinger but iron still sharpens iron…so I heard ya!

Unfortunately, we all live in a world where a majority of folks are just flat out critical of others. That’s because we’ve had the “Us and Them” mentality for as long as the earth has been cursed and all its done is produced angry people. Secularland has dedicated countless hours of television time so angry people can criticize other angry people over what those angry people say about their anger towards their angry selves. Not very edifying is it? Well at least in Christianity we got rules about this “Us and Them” mentality don’t we? Well Solomon does say this…

“If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.” — Proverbs 29:12-13

There’s a lot to be said of folks who can’t control their tongues. However, in The Book of James we read, “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.” I have yet to meet the perfect man (outside of Jesus Christ) who has this controlling what they say down to science but wisdom dictates that jumping to conclusions doesn’t give them the benefit of the doubt either. So, if you’re gonna look for negative stuff being said about you by the world around you, Christian or not, you’re gonna find it and you just may not like it.

Maybe we should try to live a life where we avoid all criticisms and escape the entire “What did they say about me?” motive. Well in all actuality, if you chose to live that kinda life, you’d be pretty much be accomplishing nothing and still be criticized for it. Besides, we weren’t created to do nothing, say nothing and be nothing so to avoid criticism means you’re not living as you created to live. It’s in this that one must realize that if you’re being criticized out of context, the God of Universe has something to say to that person and in due time they’ll find out about the error of their ways. Maybe this is a good time to end with this from the Book of James…

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:13-18)

Amen!?

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a child of El Elyon, a son, a husband, and a father. He has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy, 11/2003. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net.

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This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” Hebrews 6:17-18