False Accusations

“For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit” (Psalm 35:20)

A friend and I had a great discussion about false accusations last night. And I read a great related article here this morning: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gotquestions.org/amp/Bible-false-accusations.html

We have probably all faced false accusations, gossip, slander in some way or measure in our own lives — and we’ve probably participated in it more than we wish to admit as well.

I think of the story of Mary and Martha, where Martha tries to accuse Mary before Jesus of “not doing enough” of “not helping with the work” — and it runs the same as the older brother of the prodigal son who reveals that he doesn’t work beside his father because he loves doing so, but out of obligation. And I think of Cain who was angry that the Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice but not his, and Paul’s words about who is the clay to speak to the potter about which vessel he makes for honorable use and which he makes for destruction.

I hear “Christians” grumbling against each other, complaining that this one wasn’t here for such and such, that one isn’t fighting hard enough against their temptations, another isn’t “a powerful man of God like he should be by now” — and all I hear is envy, is false accusation, is strife, is division, is grumbling against the Lord for not having things laid out at this moment and time the way “we think it should be”.

And then I look at how I get frustrated sometimes with the trials, the challenges, the things that seem unfair at the moment, and I realize that when I grumble, it is because of the expectations I have set in my mind about how “I think things should be” instead of trusting that God has things firmly in His hand, and that even close things meant for evil will be turned to god for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.

I find that when I have my eyes set upon Him, when I am remembering the sweet yet horrible sacrifice He made for me upon the cross, when I remember the wretched life that He rescued me from, when I remember all the evil I happily did before He revealed Himself to me, it is much harder to put my eyes upon a brother or sister to compare them in envy, pride, pity, etc.

But when my eyes and my heart step aside from Him running in the forefront of my mind — when I relegate Him to “an app running in the background to be pulled up when needed or convenient to me amongst the other things of my life” — I find that my attitude of measuring others easily becomes like Martha, Cain, Haman, and so many others who make false accusations against their brothers and sisters, which at the root is really grumbling against God about what, where, and how He is or isn’t operating.

Lord, help us to remember you, to set our minds upon you and to not leave your presence. If you go, we will go, if you stay we will stay, Lord — let your will be done in our lives. Help us to remember when we are falsely accused that we should ” rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven“. And remind us that those who make false accusations are under God’s judgement. Instead of grumbling against each other, instead of measuring and comparing and judging people by the flesh, instead of arguing and debating over the Word of God instead of living the life of Christ, call us by name, reveal yourself in that powerful way that leaves us trembling in awe and fear of God, remind us of your glory so that we’r don’t try to claim any of it for our own — so that we can’t stand in pride looking down in judgment or expectation towards one another — but that we might be that God does anything at all of worth or value from such a wretched, disobedient, cold hearted, complacent, prideful, loveless, unforgiving people as we have been. Lord, forgive us our sins. Judge us not in your anger, but deliver us from evil. You have the power, you will have the glory for all that is done si that no man can boast or complain against each other, and you are honorable and just in how you choose to operate and use these vessels of clay — so we ask you, use us, mold us, help us in all we do. Amen.