Turning the Other Cheek

The hardest thing about being a Christian is learning to deal with criticism and persecution. Jesus teaches us to "turn the other cheek" and not fight back when people do us wrong. Everything in our nature wants to fight back, but this is not the right thing to do. The reason is that God wants to set things right for us. That is why Jesus was willing to die on the cross for us, because He was "content to let God set things right" as 1Peter 2:23 says. This is the example we must follow, no matter how hard it is. If Jesus could suffer through the cross for us, we can do this for Him. Not that we are doing it to earn His grace, but we are doing it out of gratitude for what He did for us.