Men watch your words closely to see if they can misrepresent or misinterpret them. Live only to please Christ. The world makes fun of a Christian's enthusiasm for the Gospel. The world ridicules God’s people calling them hypocrites, fanatics, enthusiasts. The world jests at virtue and jeers at piety. You will encounter unwarranted, damaging personal attacks. Cheerfully take up the daily yoke of Christian labor. Living near to God and delighting in Him is a privilege, not a weariness or misery. The Gospel must be preached in simplicity and earnestness. Exalt the Precious Blood, bid sinful men to come and trust in Jesus now. A good soldier of Jesus Christ is in this world, but he is not of it; he is simply a man set apart to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ with his life and lips.
You must stand the test of persecution and reproach, suspicion and disparagement, misrepresentation, and slander, which is sure to come upon the true believer who testifies the Gospel. To a Christian religious pride is nothing, and the stamp of popular opinion is nothing. Make Christ your own, trust Him, live in close fellowship with Him. The hope of the hereafter will take the sting out of the present. Be satisfied with being unknown, obscure, misrepresented, and insignificant. Be a deaf man to the world, hear them not. Be prepared to deny yourself for Christ, for weariness, slander, self-denial. Beware of weariness and faintness in Christian service.
A true sense of undeserved mercy and favor, and free forgiveness of sins is the soul of Christian zeal. Trust to the bleeding atoning Sacrifice. Nail your colors to the mast. Lift high the crimson banner; wear your colors before face of all men. For to me to live is Christ, I have no other aim. The earnest Christian will encounter all sorts of slander. It is our honor to be pelted and calumniated for the name of Jesus. If you begin earnest open Christian service, it won’t be long until you will encounter opposition. Love the man the most who treats you the worst. Never let oppressors see your anger arise. Bear them no malice, desire their eternal welfare. Use the weapons of love, not malice. Humbly endure insults, misrepresentations, and scoffing. Love Christ better than life itself. Human nature cannot stoop to be despised, it dreads ridicule, and it seeks the smile, approval, and applause of man. You will suffer from scandal and slander. The world will make fun of your godliness. There is about a real Christian a prevailing sense that God sees him, he doesn’t care who else may see him. It is enough for him that God is there. He doesn’t respect or dread the eye of man. Let your good deeds remain in the dark, for God sees them there, and that is enough. Working beneath the eye of God, not man.
Cheerfully and voluntarily sacrifice for Jesus. Our chief honor is to serve God in way which is obscure and despised. The pharisaic spirit desires the praise of men. A follower of the crucified God cannot expect to be the world’s friend. You will pelted by slander, stripped of everything else. Be dead to old self’s reigning power. Old self struggles to rule within you. Old self sneers and says, what a fool you are to follow after Christ and endure all this shame. But there is reality in faith, and not in the things which are seen. This world is a shadow, but heaven is eternal. Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. As unto the Lord. We serve the Lord Christ. Every part of me belongs to Jesus Christ. Earnest zeal for the glory of God. Avoid all self-seeking. If you are a nothing, self-denial will become very easy to you.
The good soldier must fling away his old ambitions, and aspire to nobler things. He longs for heavenly blessings. His affection is on things above. He pines for holiness, usefulness, and the glory of God. His own glory he discards, and is willing to be of no reputation, and desires to make Jesus’ name famous. His grandest service is to bring souls to Christ. Holiness is his policy. A Christian’s whole life is Christ; Christ saturates his whole being. The Christian's main question is this - How can I glorify God in all this? All things are sacred to a Christian – shopping, spending, working, recreation, home, money, body, time, spouse, children, everything. Do you ever groan and sigh over sin? Mourning over sin is one of the surest proofs of inward spiritual life. Have a humble, submissive, obedient spirit.
Simple obedience to God’s will, keeping the faith, walking in His truth. Be willing and obedient. Trust God with living faith, serve Him with living obedience. I cannot think that, my mind belongs to Jesus, I cannot say that, my tongue belongs to God, I cannot look at that, my eyes belong to Christ. I cannot listen to that, my ears are Christ’s. All my being is Jesus Christ’s; I have been bought with a price. Cheerful obedience to His matchless will. When my enemies ridicule, threaten, tempt, slander, Lord, teach me to be brave and resolve to do right, and leave it all with You. Make your object God’s glory. More communion with Christ, more fellowship with the saints, more of Christ’s spirit of self-sacrifice.
