I was doing my almost daily Bible reading (thanks to Useful Breath) and found myself becoming sad as I read First Peter 4:14...copied here from the New American Standard Bible:
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
There are two kinds of people, in relation to this verse, that are the source of my slight case of the blues.
One...There are some people who fit in so well with The World, who blend in so seamlessly, they will never experience being "reviled for the name of Christ." If being Christlike were illegal (so far, so good), there would never be enough evidence to convict them.
Two...There are others who are reviled quite a bit...not because their quiet demeanor and peacefulness irritates those opposed to God, but because they are "Bible-thumping, gay-bashing haters." (Feel free to insert whatever the current soapbox issue is.) What saddens me about this is that they will read this verse and think it applies to them. They'll think they are being reviled because they are standing up for what's right...when really they're being reviled just because they are revolting.
Truth is...there's a balancing act to be done. Jesus never pulled any punches when it came to Truth, and yet people deeply immersed in the very sins He condemned were drawn to Him and loved to hear Him speak.
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