Opposition
“Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown . . .” Numbers 16:1-2
If you cannot stand to have people oppose you, you should prayerfully consider whether God has called you to be a leader. If you lead, you should expect opposition. This is because when you lead, others will inevitably second-guess you. There will be those who presume that your motives are impure. Others will assume you have not done your homework or that there is a better way than the one you propose. There will be those who criticize you loudly in the public forum and others who whisper sinister innuendoes from the dark shadows of the office hallways. One thing is certain: opposition is inevitable for those who follow their Lord.
Despite the stark record of Scripture and church history that testifies that even God’s choicest servants faced unkind and relentless critics, we are still surprised and offended when people question or oppose us. We tend to take barbs personally. We often wonder why a loving God would allow us to suffer unfair attacks after all we have sacrificed to follow God’s will.
The reality is that the heavenly Father did not even spare His own beloved Son from critics and opponents. When Jesus taught, or healed, He could see the angry Pharisees standing at the edge of the crowd shaking their heads in public disgust. Ever since Satan sought to thwart Adam and Eve from obeying God’s will, God’s people have faced resistance to following God. It has never been easy. It has always come at a price. If you are presently facing opposition as you seek to follow God’s will, keep your eyes riveted on Him. Don’t allow your critics to set your agenda. One day your critics will all fade from view and then all you will see is your Lord and the reward He brings with Him.