“It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master.” 
              — Matthew 10:25

No one will dispute this statement, for it would be unseemly for the
servant to be exalted above his Master. When our Lord was on earth,
what was the treatment he received? Were his claims acknowledged, his
instructions followed, his perfections worshipped, by those whom he
came to bless? No; “He was despised and rejected of men.” Outside the
camp was his place: cross-bearing was his occupation. Did the world
yield him solace and rest? “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air
have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” This
inhospitable country afforded him no shelter: it cast him out and
crucified him. Such-if you are a follower of Jesus, and maintain a
consistent, Christ-like walk and conversation-you must expect to be the
lot of that part of your spiritual life which, in its outward
development, comes under the observation of men. They will treat it as
they treated the Saviour-they will despise it. Dream not that
worldlings will admire you, or that the more holy and the more
Christ-like you are, the more peaceably people will act towards you.
They prized not the polished gem, how should they value the jewel in
the rough? “If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how
much more shall they call them of his household?” If we were more like
Christ, we should be more hated by his enemies. It were a sad dishonour
to a child of God to be the world’s favourite. It is a very ill omen to
hear a wicked world clap its hands and shout “Well done” to the
Christian man. He may begin to look to his character, and wonder
whether he has not been doing wrong, when the unrighteous give him
their approbation. Let us be true to our Master, and have no friendship
with a blind and base world which scorns and rejects him. Far be it
from us to seek a crown of honour where our Lord found a coronet of
thorn.

On this day...

• Deuteronomy 9 - 2024
• Deuteronomy 8 - 2024
• The Minor Keys - 2012
• A Father's Covenant - 2012
• Hell, Hades, Gehenna, and the Realm of the Dead - 2012
• Ezekiel 7:13 - 2011
• A conscience accuses us or excuses us. ... - 2010
• Man's capacity is finite and limited. - 2010
• True love is when a heart finds its coun ... - 2010
• Matthew 10:25 - 2009