Imust remember that Jesus Christ is not only a great tension reliever, but also a 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. Mary, 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, seen families divided, or seen increasing bitterness among acquaintances because I determined to make Him my all? Mary must have gone through a thousand agonies once Christ was born. There must have been tension in the home. “Neither did his brethren believe in him” (John 7:5, KJV). 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 home town” (Matthew 13:57), was He referring to the daily snubs of His half brothers and sisters?
Jesus said He “did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34); He came to make mothers and daughters and fathers and sons one another’s enemies (v. 35). I am a very poor disciple indeed if I cannot name one person who has been offended because I chose to follow Him. 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 wisdom to discern when I must be militant; then give me the assurance of Jeremiah: “The Lord is with me as a fear-inspiring warrior. Therefore my persecutors will stumble” (Jeremiah 20:11, Berkeley).
“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).
Daily with the King 