Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man
against his father;
A daughter against her mother
A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law
A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.
Matthew 10:34-36
It is not easy to be a genuine follower of Christ. With
genuine I do not mean someone who is perfectly like Christ in everything, but I
mean someone who is genuinely striving to become more like Him in character,
words and actions. At the start of this journey one may still behave much like
everyone else around so few will notice that you are different, but as time
goes on it becomes more and more evident that you are different. To some you will
be like a light in their darkness and a guide among the conflicting and
confusing ways the world offers, but to others you will become a source of
irritation, resentment even hate. Your very lifestyle is experienced as a
condemnation of their un-Christlike lifestyle. Your very presence is unbearable,
especially to hypocritical ‘christians’ as your very presence reminds them of
the fact that they are not true followers of Christ. They may do anything to try
and catch you on an error as the religious leaders did in the time of Christ.
They will seek to undermine you with gossip, devalue you and slander you, for
all those who strive to live a godly life will be persecuted. Sadly enough as
Jesus describes above this can happen within your own marriage, family and
community. It can even happen in your churches and religious communities.
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