“…..And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”–Luke 6:30–31
Charles Spurgeon was the most famous preacher in the world during his lifetime. But there were many other well-known preachers with large churches in London. One of them was pastored by a man named Joseph Parker. At one point, Spurgeon ran a large orphanage to take care of children who had no parents, and Parker made a remark about the awful lives those children faced. The remark was reported publicly as a criticism of the conditions inside Spurgeon’s orphanages.
A furious Spurgeon went to the pulpit and harshly criticized Parker. The sermon was, as were all of Spurgeon’s sermons, printed in the papers, and London eagerly awaited the following Sunday to see how Parker would respond. Rather than refuting what Spurgeon had said, Parker simply announced to the packed auditorium that they were going to take up a special offering for Spurgeon’s orphanages. The ushers had to empty the offering plates three times! Later that week Spurgeon arrived at Parker’s office and said, “Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.”
Every day as we interact with others, we face the choice of how we will treat them. Will we respond in kind to attacks, criticism, and harsh words? Will we respond in kind, trying to get even and prove we cannot be taken advantage of? Or will we defer our anger, even if it is justified, and allow God to settle any scores that need to be made right? Paul wrote, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19).–Daily in the Word
