Charles Spurgeon Speaks of Being Hated by the World for Loving Jesus

Looking at Spurgeon's quote, nothing is clearer than the truths of John 15:18-19 and James 4:4.  If you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy of God and since the Christian is a friend of God, they are enemies of the world.  I always thought that one way or another, inspirational quotes from Christian preachers is how God speaks to me and my brethren.

It made me think that Christians may get worldly for awhile but the world gives them no rest.  Just think how miserable the backslider is and how joyful such a person is when they are back to God.  I thought of how miserable I was when I cowered for awhile due to persecution because God told me to pick up my pen and write for His glory.  As Martin Luther said, "If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write."  Some people can momentarily quit out of fear or compromise but God always finds a way to put them back in shape.  I am thankful for God's grace that without it, no saint of His can persevere to the end.

In the quest to please God, nobody can please everybody.  One can expect a pat on the shoulder the other day and a punch on the face on the next.  When a Christian stands by for the Gospel, he or she can expect the worst.  Jesus warned of persecution more than He promised prosperity.  Whenever I read the Bible, I only expect persecution in this world and for my problems to increase.  I don't expect to be always loved because when I stand for Christ, I should expect all types of evil to be said but here's some words of encouragement as Matthew 5:44 says that it's no call to distress but to rejoice in the midst of persecution and trials for great is the reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.