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Living So Well It Isn’t True

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you

and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

— Matthew 5:11

Not all criticism is persecution.

Sometimes it’s correction.

Sometimes it’s a mirror.

But Jesus speaks here about accusations that are false—

words spoken to wound, distort, or discredit.

The word translated revile carries the sense of being insulted or shamed

(oneidizō, ὀνειδίζω).

It names attacks on reputation, not just actions.

So the question this blessing invites us to ask is simple—and searching:

Is the criticism true?

If it is, we listen.

We repent.

We grow.

But if it is not—

if our lives are marked by integrity, compassion, and care—

then we are not called to defend ourselves endlessly.

We are called to live so well

that the accusation cannot take root.

Faithfulness does not make us immune to criticism.

But it does free us from being defined by it.

And that, too, is a blessing.

I’m Horace McMillon.

This is 60 Seconds of Hope.

Peace be with you.

#60SecondsOfHope

#LivingWithIntegrity

#FaithUnderFire

#BlessedWhenMisunderstood

#KingdomLiving

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