When someone insults you, what is your initial response? Most of us want to strike back and get even. This, of course, reveals our pride. How dare someone say anything negative about us! We don’t like to be put down, and we hate it even more when someone says something untrue about us. Our impulse is to justify ourselves and set the record straight.
When we act from a place of pride, we are not in the will of God, nor are we showing Christ to a dark and dying world. (James 4:6; Philippians 2:3-5) Jesus did not insult back when His adversaries would insult and defame Him. He held His tongue. Peter instructs us to follow the Lord’s example and to do the same. (1 Peter 2:21-23)