goodreads | How to Respond When You Feel Mistreated

Title: How to Respond When You Feel Mistreated
Author: John Bevere
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 76
Date read: September 2010

"Repay no one evil for evil" (Romans 12:17 NKJV). Easier said than done, right? But that's exactly what John Bevere recommends. We are all subject to some authority, and those in leadership often misuse their power and hurt others. But we as Christians are called to honor and submit to authority, even if it means accepting unfair treatment.

"'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19 NKJV). God's justice often takes longer than we want to wait, but it does come. And our obedience in accepting suffering increases His work in the lives of others. Ultimately, our model for responding to unfair treatment is Jesus. And by enduring suffering as He did, we are made more like Him.

MUCH easier said than done, and I also felt the book lacked some concrete examples. When are we taking vengeance out of God's hands and when are we just refusing to be door-mats? Where does the line go? In some cases it's obvious, but in others not so much.

A thought-provoking book, but though short, it still didn't escape from being rather repetative at times. The first two chapters were definitely the best, and more or less everything in the rest of the book were expansions and elaborations of the topics raised there. I did appricate his chapter on authority though - even when we sorely dislike, or even disapprove of our head of state, God is still in charge. Who are we to say He didn't put that person in that position for a reason? He also made an excellent argument for why a wife submitting to her husband doesn't necessarily mean that she has to obey him, but merely that she has to respect him. Interesting thoughts.