Matthew 10
32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.
34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!
It is interesting to me that verses 34 and following come right on the heals of Jesus proclaiming that public acknowledgement of the Christ is a requirement for those who hope to live eternally in the presence of God. Because such public acknowledgement does not always (and very often) bring about peace. In fact, Jesus flat out says that he didn’t come to the earth to bring peace! Jesus may be the Prince of Peace, but for those who follow Him publicly, their lives are not assured to be peaceful, at least while on this planet. May I be even more determined to follow the Christ this year, and may I stop desiring peace as the dividend for such a lifestyle. May Jesus be glorified in my life, no matter what!
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