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Why Not Rather Be
Wronged?
03/04/2001
Sometimes suffering an injustice can make our blood boil! Receiving an
unjustified attack upon our honor, our possessions or our rights, it seems
natural to seek just retribution. And if the perpetrator is a fellow
Christian, this only adds insult to injury. We can expect the world to act
in ungodly ways, but a Christian should know better. We should be
living by a higher standard. Personal vindication can swallow our energy.
What shocking news Paul's letter must have been to Corinth! Instead of
praising them for standing on the side of pursuing justice and vindicating
their personal losses, Paul's words were a surgeon's razor cut to their
heart. "Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?"
In fact, Paul suggested they were already defeated by the presence of
lawsuits (1Cor.6:7). Some probably thought, "How could the apostle
possibly write this?" Paul's questions penetrate to the heart of the
issue. What is my objective? Is my goal to righteously defend my rights
and personal property? Or is my goal shaped by a higher purpose than self?
In 1 Cor.8, Paul contrasted the differing results, which come from
pursuing the knowledge of personal rights and freedoms and seeking the
well being of others. Love builds up but knowledge puffs up (1Cor.8:1).
Paul shows us, in chapters 8&9, that the principle of love can cause a
person to forego personal rights in order to achieve the greater good of
seeking the well being of others(1Cor.10:33). It is living with a higher
ethic rather than seeking personal vindication. Overcoming evil with good
is the way of Christ's true disciple (Rom.12:17, 21).
A Christian is free to defend himself in court. But in pursuit of a
more noble purpose than self-interest, a disciple whose heart has been
molded by the cross might turn the other cheek toward insults, give more
than would be taken through legal action, or go the second mile in
offering service. Why not rather be wronged? After all, our behavior is
the manifestation of our heart values. Sure, we have rights, but what do
we love most? For more details, check out the Sermon on the Mount!
Douglas L Post
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A Chaplains Thought
Last Thursday morning I was one of more than 300 runners in the
NSA Armed Forces Week 5K run (Ft. Meade, MD). It was pretty crowded
at the start, but things thinned out after about five minutes or so,
and I took
my bearings. Perhaps 200 yards ahead of me was a group of maybe 8
Marines
or so who were obviously running together. I decided that a good goal
would
be to beat them, which seemed reasonable as I am a macho Air Force
Chaplain and they were only a bunch of United States Marines. I kept
them
in sight for the next couple of miles, but the longer the race went
on, the younger those guys got. It became apparent to me in the last
mile that I was
not going to catch them, and I resigned myself to finishing well
behind them.
Then I noticed that one of their number was struggling and was gradually
dropping off the pace. I panted out a word of encouragement as I caught
him and realized that he was not about to give up. About 100 yards of the finish line I saw a strange sight. The entire group of Marines
made a
u-turn in the road and were running back towards me. As they ran past
me I noted their
well-chiseled muscles and the determined set of their
jaws. I glanced over my shoulder in time to see them rally around their buddy
to provide the emotional support of the team so that they could all
finish together.
I was impressed.
No way would they leave a struggling comrade behind. As I entered The finishing chute I murmured a prayer: "God, I'm glad those
guys are on our side." And so it was that I learned a theological truth from the
U.S. Marines that is as vivid as any my college professors ever taught.
"If
anyone... sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the
love of God be in him? Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions
and truth" (1 Jn. 3:17-18). Last Thursday I witnessed a "few good
men" in action. They reminded me of the strength of being a team,
and that words without actions are pretty much useless. Thanks Marines.
(author unknown; simply signed, "Joe")
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