Responding to Treatment That Is Wrong
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Greathearted, loving, caring, sacrificial servants of the living God have known ill treatment down through the centuries. The consequence of serving is no new phenomenon. It goes a long way back in time.
I’m not aware of a more moving section of Scripture than these verses out of Hebrews 11, which declare the reality of the consequences of serving:
Some women, through faith, received their loved ones back again from death. But others trusted God and were beaten to death, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free—trusting that they would rise to a better life afterwards.
Some were laughed at and their backs cut open with whips, and others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning and some by being sawed in two; others were promised freedom if they would renounce their faith, then were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in dens and caves. They were hungry and sick and ill-treated—too good for this world. And these men of faith, though they trusted God and won his approval, none of them received all that God had promised them. (Hebrews 11:35–39 TLB)
Tortured. Rejected. Threatened. Hungry. Sick. Martyred.
People who were “too good for this world” were kicked around like big rag dolls . . . even though they gave and even though they served.
If it happened to them—need I say more? Yes, maybe I should: mistreatment is inevitable. Since you know it’s coming, prepare yourself. Watch out for disillusionment.
Bitterness is often bred in a context of disillusionment.
Many a pastor, regrettably, is sidelined today, being eaten alive by the acid of resentment and bitterness, because he or she was mistreated after doing what was right.
My hope for you is that you will be preserved from the paralyzing sting of bitterness and disillusionment.
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About the author
Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation of men and women for ministry.
