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If people fail to understand us, and criticise our good motives, or if they through misunderstanding oppose and persecute us, it would be no new or surprising event. There are crowds of people who do not even know their own purpose in life, otherwise they would have no leisure to waste in interfering in the business of others. Those who understand God’s purpose in their lives have always their set task to do, and they are indifferent as to what people think and say about them, for the God to whom they must give their account knows their good motives and keeps them in His love and comfort. When our Creator and Lord knows our good intentions, then why should we be troubled about opposition, especially when we know that a time will come when He will make clear the good purpose of our whole lives.
When a man goes to a foreign country, then the people stare at him, and the dogs bark at him. So the true Christian does not belong to this world. He is a pilgrim and a stranger (John 17:14; Hebrews 11:13), so he should not be surprised and disheartened if the dogs of the world think him a stranger, and bark at him, or perhaps even tear him (Matthew 7:6). “The dogs bark but the caravan moves on.” The dogs follow barking for a while, and then turn back, but the caravan moves on and sooner or later arrives at its destination.
There is no appointed duty that has been given to critics hostile to the Truth. Perhaps they once had their instructions, but now they have lost their commission through their failure to carry it through, and when God’s work had been taken from them, and they had nothing else to do, to provide work for their idle hands they began to amuse themselves by throwing stones at those doing God’s work. Satan had found them idle and had given them his commission!
If a blind man comes groping along the road, it is only fair that a man who can see should step aside and avoid bumping into him; and if the blind man, by accident, bumps into him he should not be offended, but should help him along. Should he get annoyed about it, it only proves that he is even more blind than the blind man himself, for he is blind in the lack of all ordinary common sense and sympathy. So if any one persecutes us because we follow the truth, instead of being offended with him we should forgive him, and in love pray for him (Matthew 5:44–45), and if, even in spite of this, he does not respond and give up his opposition, we lose nothing because we did it for the sake of that Truth, Who has given us our sight and Who is Himself our Portion and our Reward.
In snow regions bears and some other animals feed up in summer time, and store away fat in their bodies, then when winter comes, and for several months food is unobtainable, they live on that store of fat. In a like way, through prayer we get a store of food and strength from God, and when the time of persecution comes we are kept strong and unshaken. When the opposition to our Lord was carried to such an extent that they nailed Him to the Cross (Acts 3:15), then what are we that we should shrink from persecution? “He came unto His own, but His own received Him not.”
Once a merchant went to live in a foreign country. Soon after he had left, a son was born in his house, but the mother died. From time to time the merchant sent money to his relations for the child’s expenses. Years later, when the boy had grown up, his father came back in the night, and knocking at the door awakened him. On seeing the stranger the young man thought he was a thief, and spoke to him rudely. Over and over again the merchant tried to explain that he was his father, but the young man had never seen his father, and had no knowledge of him or of his love. He attacked and wounded him and gave him over to the police. Next morning, in the investigation, it was proved that he was truly the long-absent parent. Then the young man was filled with remorse. He beat his breast and cried and earnestly pleaded for forgiveness, and promised that, in future, he would never fail to serve him obediently. The end of the story is that the young man was ashamed of the dishonour he had shown to his father and asked forgiveness; but among us there are hundreds of thousands who, even now, do not repent and turn to our Heavenly Father. Let us in sorrow for their hard-heartedness pray that God will reveal Himself to them in mercy.
There are many who never see their own defects and shortcomings, but who are for ever looking for faults in others. The eye that sees all external objects sees neither itself nor its defects, so the opponents of truth see everything except their own faults. When we look into a glass the eye sees itself and its defects, so by living in the fellowship of the Word-made-flesh, and by measuring our lives by God’s written Word, we can truly know ourselves. And not only will He show us our state of sinfulness, but will reveal Himself to us in healing and saving power. Then, if we in obedience turn to Him, and, continuing in prayer, live in His holy fellowship, He will take away our defects and transform us into His glorious image for all eternity, that we may also share with Him in His glory (John 14:26; John 17:24).