The Struggle Against Wind and Tide, December 19
The Struggle Against Wind and Tide, December 19
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11, 12.
Our gracious Redeemer looked down the stream of time, and beheld the perils that would in the last days surround His chosen....
If the members of the church labor faithfully to build up the cause of truth, they will not escape the tongue of gossip, falsehood, and slander. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12. Their consistent, unwavering course is a constant rebuke of the unbelief, pride, and selfishness of the hypocritical professor.
Their prayers and admonitions disturb his worldly ambition, and he endeavors to cast reproach upon the faithful followers of Jesus. He will garble, distort, and misrepresent facts, in the same spirit that actuated the Pharisees in their opposition to Christ.
Jesus does not lose sight of His people who have so many discouragements to encounter. It requires little effort to float with the popular current, but those who would gain the immortal shores must struggle against wind and tide. There is a form of Christianity—a spurious article—which has no reformative energy. Its possessors delight to oppose and decry the faith of others. Their religion is not seen in the market place, in the family, or in the workshop. Their religious experience runs in the corrupt channel of the world.
The true follower of Christ should not be dismayed at receiving reproach from this class. Said the beloved apostle, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” 1 John 3:13. And our Saviour reminds His disciples, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” John 15:18. Those who are faithful to God will not be harmed by reproach or opposition. Nay, rather, virtues will thus be developed that will not flourish in the sunshine of prosperity. Faith, patience, meekness, and love will bud and blossom amid clouds and darkness. [360]