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Yet Another Troubling Statement by Jesus Feb 03 2009
"For I came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be the members of his own household." - Matthew 10:35
Today's verse is probably very troubling to read. Christ says, "Look, when I come, you're going to see a son set against his father, a daughter become an enemy of her mother, even a daughter-in-law set against her mother-in-law." (It's hard to believe that last one is even possible, isn't it?)
Now is Jesus advocating that someone who becomes a Christian become a troublemaker in the home? No, of course not. What Jesus is telling us is when a person comes to Christ within a family of unbelievers, the unbelievers are probably going to be unhappy - even angry - about that decision. Now if you come to Christ in a family where everyone else is a committed Christian, they're going to be rejoicing; there will actually be greater unity in your family than there's ever been before. But when a person becomes a Christian in a family that is not in Christ, then very often those family members will be angry and reject the new Christian member. Why? Because they feel the new Christian is claiming to have the truth and declaring that everyone else in the family is wrong. So, there will be natural divisions in the family, often including anger and rejection toward the Christian member. But if you are the one in this situation, Jesus wants you to realize that it is not you being rejected, it is Christ Himself. Know that Jesus will help carry the hurt you feel from this misdirected rejection.
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3 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindAnother excellent devotion! I sometimes have to remind myself that it is Jesus who is being rejected, not me, but thankfully I have a family that doesn't let the "division" grow very large.
I can only imagine how tough it is for a new Christian believer who is part of a Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu family.
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Yes, report it NevermindIt is natural for a new believer to be so excitid about what Jesus has done in their life that they want to tell everyone; especially those closest to them.
When this is done assertively, it can come across as judgemental and exclusive. What I had to (re)learn was the old saying that "people pay a lot more attention to what you do than to what you say".
As the change in my life became more and more obvious to my family and friends, they also became more receptive to hearing my story. When given the opportunity over time to see the change that occurs in a new Christian's life, people usually give creedance to your explanation of why. Slowly, I have seen the lives of other beloved members of my family moving toward Christ. Those that were already Christians are becoming stronger. Those who were not sure are more open, and I believe ready for the Holy Spirit to begin a good work in their lives too.
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Yes, report it NevermindIt is sad to see a new christian being pushed out of a family but it happens every day. Jewish families concider the new believer as dead to the family, this is awful but at least this is better than what happens to a believer coming from a muslim family. In the muslim countries if a person converts from a muslim religion and accepts Christ in some cases the person will be killed because this is about the same as treason to the muslims. Both the new believer and the muslim family needs our prayers for guidance from the Holy Spirit. God bless everyone and have a wonderful day