- Acts 23:12 (NKJV) And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
This is one of those I-complained-that-I-had-no-shoes-until-I-met-the-man-who-had-feet verses. When I read Acts 23:12, I thought to myself, “And I thought I had problems!”
Perspective is a good thing…however, there is another element to this verse that I want to highlight today…
It is a given that there will be people in life that do not like you…some may even want to kill you! (I sure hope not…for you and me both!)
However, what is important is why people don’t like you. Having enemies is a given; having enemies for the right reason is what matters. In the case of Paul, the reason there was a band of Jews that would rather kill Paul than eat was because Paul was such a good Christian.
If people don’t like you because you are mean-spirited, grumpy and self-centered…well, shame on you. However, if the reason people don’t like you is because your Godly lifestyle convicts them…well, God bless you! (And He will.)
For further study on this subject read: I Peter 3:13 – 4:19
The ONE THING 