A poor man gets little respect from strangers. If he is a good honest workman who does his job well, even if he is poor, he will get respect from those who know him.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Proving Trail)
“A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree produce good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush.”
–Luke 6:43-44 (HCSB)
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“God, blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.”
–Matthew 5:10-12(NLT)
You want to follow Christ? Pick up your cross. Not just once, for a single event, but daily–a lifetime. True, to pick it up is not necessarily easy, but it is necessary. Suffering will come. It will come to disrupt your work, your career, your plans. But take heart, it happened to the prophets. William Barclay said, “If it came to a choice between a loyalty and a living, the real Christian never hesitated to choose loyalty.” WOW!
When suffering comes it will almost all the time disrupt your social life. Be prepared to be lonely. Be prepared to be the odd-ball. Be prepared to be made fun of in the group. When suffering comes, be aware that it could disrupt the home life. It could split the family, bring family members against one another. In the early days of Christianity it wasn’t uncommon for a family to be split and the real Christian cast out. It is little different today. Oh, you might not be thrown out on the street, but you may be castigated by loved ones, you may be mocked by close members of the family. However, the real Christian must choose loyalty–oh how it can hurt, loyalty to Christ is what counts.
See if you’re righteous, you will breathe after holiness. You won’t see the ways of the world, for your loyalty is to a new master. His grace is now the center of your life and your most important aim is to please Him, to have a good conscience at any cost; it may be career, social standing, and even family. A good, righteous conscience is a precious jewel of high value. An important aspect of this, and it is important–you may be the conscience of your workers, your social group, and even your family. You may be the only light that shines, the only letter they read, the only salt that they taste in this wicked, evil world. “The Church when it really is the Church, is bound to be the conscience of the nation and the conscience of society.” (Barclay) That is one of the reasons for the demise of our nation, the Church did not stand up to its task of being a “city on a hill”; it wavered, compromised, gave in to the whims of society, and became complacent. It is time for the Church to be the Church or let the nation go down the tubes.
One more thought before closing today’s devotion. Suffering is not what we cause to bring on ourselves. When we get ourselves in a fix and have to pay the consequences that is not suffering from being a Christian, that is suffering for a foolish action. Our sins may cause us to suffer, that is not suffering for the sake of righteousness. Suffering is also not what is paid to purchase fame. The effort you give to climb the social ladder, or make the most sales at work, or become a classical guitarist, that is suffering that is part of the deal, the work, the practice; it is not for righteousness.
“A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree produce good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush.”
–Luke 6:43-44 (HCSB)
———————————-
“God, blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.”
–Matthew 5:10-12(NLT)
You want to follow Christ? Pick up your cross. Not just once, for a single event, but daily–a lifetime. True, to pick it up is not necessarily easy, but it is necessary. Suffering will come. It will come to disrupt your work, your career, your plans. But take heart, it happened to the prophets. William Barclay said, “If it came to a choice between a loyalty and a living, the real Christian never hesitated to choose loyalty.” WOW!
When suffering comes it will almost all the time disrupt your social life. Be prepared to be lonely. Be prepared to be the odd-ball. Be prepared to be made fun of in the group. When suffering comes, be aware that it could disrupt the home life. It could split the family, bring family members against one another. In the early days of Christianity it wasn’t uncommon for a family to be split and the real Christian cast out. It is little different today. Oh, you might not be thrown out on the street, but you may be castigated by loved ones, you may be mocked by close members of the family. However, the real Christian must choose loyalty–oh how it can hurt, loyalty to Christ is what counts.
See if you’re righteous, you will breathe after holiness. You won’t see the ways of the world, for your loyalty is to a new master. His grace is now the center of your life and your most important aim is to please Him, to have a good conscience at any cost; it may be career, social standing, and even family. A good, righteous conscience is a precious jewel of high value. An important aspect of this, and it is important–you may be the conscience of your workers, your social group, and even your family. You may be the only light that shines, the only letter they read, the only salt that they taste in this wicked, evil world. “The Church when it really is the Church, is bound to be the conscience of the nation and the conscience of society.” (Barclay) That is one of the reasons for the demise of our nation, the Church did not stand up to its task of being a “city on a hill”; it wavered, compromised, gave in to the whims of society, and became complacent. It is time for the Church to be the Church or let the nation go down the tubes.
One more thought before closing today’s devotion. Suffering is not what we cause to bring on ourselves. When we get ourselves in a fix and have to pay the consequences that is not suffering from being a Christian, that is suffering for a foolish action. Our sins may cause us to suffer, that is not suffering for the sake of righteousness. Suffering is also not what is paid to purchase fame. The effort you give to climb the social ladder, or make the most sales at work, or become a classical guitarist, that is suffering that is part of the deal, the work, the practice; it is not for righteousness.