December 16

Glory in reproach

“We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Cor. 4:9-10).
“Blessed are ye, when men shall . . . reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake” (Luke 6:22).

Do not be deterred from this fullness of spiritual life by the fact that the world has long since pronounced every one of its possessors a madman. The world has some good ground for its verdict. A madman is one who sees, or thinks he sees, what others see not, and seeing such things walks accordingly. Under the intense illumination of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit abiding with the believer (John 14:16-23), he sees what the blind world sees not, and shapes his conduct in accordance with the heavenly light.


Hence, those who see not what he sees must think him beside himself, and express their pity that reason has been dethroned. If you are unwilling to be an unintelligible and sadly misunderstood person in the eye of the world, an enigma to your best friends, who know not the experience of the indwelling Spirit, we advise you to wait till you have conquered the world in so far as to live without its good opinion. By the grace of God the thing can be done. “Be of good cheer,” says the great Representative and Exemplar, “I have overcome the world.”
—Daniel Steele.

Trials may come, but they are all good. I have not been so tried for many years. Every week, and almost every day, I am bespattered in the public papers. Many are in tears on the occasion; many terribly frightened and crying out, “Oh, what will the end be?” What will it be? Why, glory to God in the highest, and peace and goodwill among men.
—John Wesley.

It is not the many who reform the world, but the few who rise superior to that public opinion which crucified our Lord many years ago.
—Charles Kingsley.

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