Follow Boldly – Following Christ may cost you your friends, your family. Stand for truth.
The Christian will be sure to make enemies. It will be one of
his objects to make none; but if doing what is right and believing what is true
should cause him to lose every earthly friend, he will regard it as a small
loss, since his great Friend in heaven will be even more friendly and will
reveal Himself to him more graciously than ever. You who have taken up His
cross, don't you know what your Master said? "I have come to set a man
against his father, and a daughter against her mother . . . And a person's
enemies will be those of his own household."
Christ is the great Peacemaker; but before peace, He brings war.
Where the light comes, the darkness must vanish. Where truth is, the lie must
flee; or if it remains, there must be a stern conflict, for the truth cannot
and will not lower its standard, and the lie must be trampled underfoot. If you
follow Christ, you will have all the dogs of the world yelping at your heels.
If you live in such a manner as to stand the test of the last judgment, you can
depend upon it that the world will not speak well of you.
He who has the friendship of the world is an enemy to God; but
if you are true and faithful to the Most High, men will resent your
uncompromising commitment, since it is a testimony against their iniquities.
You must do the right thing and not fear the consequences. You will need the
courage of a lion to pursue a course that turns your best friend into your
fiercest foe; but for the love of Jesus you must take your stand. To risk
reputation and affection for the truth's sake is so demanding that to do it
constantly you will need a degree of moral principle that only the Spirit of
God can work in you. Do not turn your back like a coward, but play the man.
Follow boldly in your Master's steps, for He has made this rough journey before
you. Better a brief warfare and eternal rest than false peace and everlasting
torment.
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
