1 Peter Chapter 4: Verses 3-5 (NLT)
You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead.
I think people are less judgemental of others who don’t conform just to fit in, but they are more sceptical if someone turns their back on the things that they would previously have participated in. When we decide to make that sort of change because of our faith, especially if we have come to faith later in life, we can expect some scrutiny and yes, even criticism.
That’s why we need to be aware that we are being watched, and perhaps even tested, by people who don’t think that our faith will last, and as we saw yesterday, we need to be careful how we respond to taunting and criticism. Jesus faced this often, and I do tend to forget that although there were crowds who followed after Him, they weren’t all doing it for the right reasons. There were always plenty of folk trying to catch Him out. But He always knew the right way to respond, sometimes with a word, and sometimes by saying nothing. That’s why we need to be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit would guide us in a similar situation.
Dear Lord,
I know that no one likes being criticised, but help me not to be tempted to compromise my behaviour simply to avoid criticism. Help me to do what I know to be right, even if it means I stand out from the crowd. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.