"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." Matthew 5:11-12
How are you at making enemies? No, I did not ask, How are you at making friends? That is easy. Just be a good Joe, an easy spender, a tolerant sort of fellow who never offends anyone. Solomon wisely says, ". . . the rich hath many friends" (Proverbs 14:20). And again he says, "Wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbor" (Proverbs 19:4). Yes, you can have lots of friends if you are willing to pay them for it. And again we read, "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16). Yes, there are many ways of making friends.
But how good are you at making enemies? If you are a child of God and you can move among wicked, ungodly, cursing men and women today, and not be different enough to incur their disfavor or even reviling, you certainly are not much of a testimony. Do you just silently endure taking the Lord's name in vain for fear of jeering? Do you take "just a nip" because you fear ridicule? Do you dread criticism for your faith in Christ? Are you ashamed of Him for fear of losing friends? I would rather make enemies for Jesus's sake than make friends for my own comfort's sake.
In the thousands of letters we receive each week we have both letters of appreciation from our listeners, and also many of criticism and condemnation. I can honestly say that I appreciate the "critical" letters (some of them unprintable) as much as any others for it confirms the Gospel I preach ) - that it's a two-edged sword cutting both ways: a savor of life - and a savor of death (2 Corinthians 2:16).
"Bread For Each Day"
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