Being Divisive for Christ!
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 1 Peter 4:14.
I must remember that Jesus Christ is not only a great tension reliever, but also tension bringer. If I expect Him to relieve all my tensions, I have a vain expectancy. Merely to know and follow Jesus will create all kinds of problems for me. His mother received that word when she gave Him birth, “a sword will pierce even your own soul.” Luke 2:35
Have I felt the piercing of my soul because of my commitment to Christ? Have I lost friends, seeing families divided, or seeing increasing bitterness among acquaintances because I’m determined to make Him my all? Mary must have gone through 1000 agonies once Christ was born. There must have been tension in the home. Neither did his brothers believe in Him. John 7:5. How did Mary manage to referee between her holy son and her other natural children? How could she stand their hatred of Him, knowing all the while who He was? When Jesus later said, “a prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown”. Matt. 13:57. What is Jesus also referring to his daily snubs of his half brothers and sisters? We really don’t know.
Jesus said he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matt. 10:34. He came to make mothers and daughters and fathers and sons one another’s enemies. V35. I am a very poor disciple indeed, if I cannot name, one person who has been offended because I chose to follow Jesus. But I must be careful that it is for His sake that enemies are made, not for my own. When my own rights and privileges are concerned, I must be as harmless as a dove; but when His rights and privileges are concerned, I must be a militant warrior. Lord, give me the wisdom to discern when I must be a militant; then give me the assurance of Jeremiah. “The Lord is with me as a far inspiring fear, inspiring warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble.” Jer. 20:11