Don’t Shoot the Messenger

There’s an old adage saying, “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

Just because you don’t like what the messenger is saying is no reason to hate the messenger. This is especially true in the Apostle Paul’s case.

“Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16)

The Galatians received Paul as a messenger of Jesus Christ, a messenger of the gospel of grace, as opposed to the Judaizers who came as messengers of the law, messengers of the Jewish religion, or of religious rules and traditions.

We need to be careful we don’t shoot the messenger for saying things we don’t like or want to hear. Now, most don’t go shooting their pastor or the teacher of God’s word, but they do it in other ways, like talking to others about their disagreements, or by leaving the church or class.

More often than not people don’t like what the preacher or teacher says because it’s messing with what they want to do, and they don’t like hearing what they are doing is wrong.

Is what he or she is saying wrong? Check it out by God’s word like the Bereans who were more noble minded because that’s exactly what they did. If it’s in God’s word, and you may not like it, then your problem lies with God, not with the messenger, so go to God and find out what He wants you to know and hear.

But it’s a lot easier to come against the teacher than it is against God. So that’s exactly what people do when their toes get stepped on. There’s a saying I use to hear a lot, “If your toes get stepped on, it means they were exposed to begin with.” What this means is that if it tweaks your melon, there may be something mushy there to begin with.

So, instead of shooting the messenger, go to God’s word, make sure it’s correct, and if so, confess and repent.