Matthew 10:21,22
“Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
This is a difficult truth. Jesus divides. Several verses later He said, “Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword”, (Matthew 10:34).
He asks us to share His good news with all. Many are offended by this. While it’s good news some don’t accept it. There are several reasons. One is they are involved in things that displease God and they don’t want to stop. Some like being their own boss. This is opposed to Jesus being Lord. Others have philosophies that are different.
One of the roots is the devil. He rebelled against God before creation. He took a third of the angels with him. They became his demons. The devil is behind much of the worldly system. Of course he infuses hatred for God.
Unfortunately this happens in families. Brothers against brothers, children against parents and visa versa. Neighbor against neighbor. This is a tough reality.
In light of this God commands us to love one another. So the bad feelings aren’t from us. We have to go against the current to love. He will empower us to do so. He gives us love.
I was talking to someone the other day about sharing our faith. He used the phrase, “Lean in to the awkward”. Don’t let it scare us. Don’t be obnoxious, but don’t be afraid of sharing Christ.
This concept validates what Jesus said about us being the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We are loving against hard feelings. We aren’t to allow bitterness and resentment a place. We are to love in response.
This is why Jesus said this in Matthew 5:14, “But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.” If we fear man following Christ will be difficult. We all struggle with it from time to time.
We are in a spiritual battle. The devil would love to wreck our faith. His goal is to ruin as many lives as possible. God is trying to rescue all and save them. He enlists us to help. 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, “that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” We are helping in this task. We struggle for mens souls.
2 Corinthians 2:15 gives us insight towards those we are reaching, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”. This reminds of the the fragrance emitted from an orange when pealed. Wonderful. To further the analogy, the pealing represents a trial we go through. They can be rough. The Lord gives us His fruit and we become better on the other side. This is appealing to others.
Lord, thank You that You enlist us in Your mission. While Your message divides You still reach our and us us in the process. Thank You.