Turn The Other Cheek

 

"But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."  Matthew 5:39 NASB

 

As I think about what happened yesterday, I am no longer mad about it.  It is one of those 'growing pains' you experience when you grow up–literally and in Christ.  In both Matthew and Luke, Christ tells His disciples that when someone 'slaps' them on one side, that they should turn the other side to them also. 

 

I can't even formulate any kind of lie that says I would agree to this!  I'm not sure you would either, but I know this takes growth in Christ, to learn to have the 'agape' kind of love for others…even when they wrong us.  I have never been a turner of the other cheek-er lol.  I did not have this behavior at all.  I have a little now and I know that it is a painful process to go through.  After the last week, and especially yesterday, I learned that some battles are better left lost.  For the ultimate lesson here is that we walk in love–agape, unconditional, God-love towards everybody, especially those that offend or hurt you.

For example–I'm not sure how many of you ever watched Dave Chappelle's show, Chappelle's Show.  But one of his segments was "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong." The episode in particular had a guy going out with his girlfriend to a local club.  Her ex-boyfriend speaks to her–an obvious man offense to her current boyfriend.  Now the thing to do here would have been to discuss it with her later and enjoy their night out, right?  Of course the guy doesn't ignore it and after being humiliated by both his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend beating him up, and then being further decimated by having to move with his grandmother and her boyfriend, we see that had he simply overlooked that small incident, he would have been much better off.  Of course my description doesn't make it funny haha.  But seriously, somethings we are better off leaving alone.  By letting our prideful flesh get involved and feeding into our egos, the devil can manipulate that situation and US to his advantage.  In what could have been an opportunity for God to work in and through us, we slam the door in His face and let 'self' take over.

Walking in love towards everyone can be extremely hard.  Take it from me–EXTREMELY hard.  Because if you feel like I do, you may think that not everybody deserves to be loved on…well at least by you.  But humbling and submitting the issue before God and letting Him work through you will not only make you feel better in the end, you never know what effect or impact it may have on that person.  So turn the other cheek and suck it up, lol, because in due time you will get your 'revenge', oops I mean reward, haha. 

Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.  Proverbs 20:22 NIV

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
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