Believing The Worst

On an episode of the classic tv show “Robin Hood,” the peasants who were once Robin and his band of merry men’s dear friends were at first shocked when the sheriff told them that Robin Hood was killing innocent people. Then, in turn, they quickly believing the worst, turned against them. Upon hearing how the townspeople were railing against them most so quickly the men lost heart. One of Robin’s men commented that he wondered why they bothered giving them the last of their food to the people when they hated them. He said, “Why do we hunger when all they do is hate us? Can you hear it? The hurt feelings and disappointment, the “I thought they knew me better than that”.  It makes you wonder that before we start believing the worst in others why don’t we ask ourselves why we are believing the wrong people in the first place. Why give ear to the person that we know is the enemy? Why give them our time in the first place?

 

That is an interesting question, is it not? How is it that people and mostly those who we would think to know us best think the worst of us? People you work beside, pray beside, play golf with, or go to church with, or like Robin fed and cared for. It is hard to imagine and harder yet to go through, as I see a blogger on Facebook being torn apart by her fans on the Internet. People who she thought knew her better than that.

 

 

 

I think many of us have walked through this and Christ himself walked through it.

Look at Matthew 21: 6-10

Jesus is riding into town. The people are waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! This is Palm Sunday. by good Friday they are shouting, “Crucify Him!”

First, they adore you, and then they hate you, the early church is full of this. They are doing well. And yet people believe the rumors that the Christians are cannibals (eating the communion bread) and drinking blood, (communion wine) or any number of stories. What is the answer? Well, first of all, the bible says that when we are innocently persecuted for his sake, we are blessed. It also says to pray your enemies and those who were persecuting you. Lastly, it says to do good to them.

Wow, how different is that to our knee-jerk reaction right?

Let them go hungry!

What’s that to me?

But, What if I am Mr. or Mrs. Negative and I find myself always thinking the worst of people around me, even those that I dearly love?

Well, the bible talks about that too.

Believing The Worst – What Should We Be Thinking?

Philippians 4:8 AMP

Finally, [a]believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

The bible tells us to think on good, pure and lovely things.

That then is the opposite of negativity isn’t it?

What If?

So what if we actually practiced this? Say we daily think two nice thoughts about our wife, our husband, our friends, our kids, that neighbor. What if we actually spoke those things out loud to them, or even others?

Look up Proverbs 18:21

The bible says that the mouth has the power of life and death and that we should choose life.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),

Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. www.Lockman.org”

 

 

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