Reminded of the Cost

Scripture:
Those who hate me without cause
are more numerous than the hairs of my head;
my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,
are powerful.
Though I did not steal, I must repay.
Psalm 69:4

Observation: David again cries out to the Lord with familiar themes. These include the fact that while he is NOT blameless in his life, and he does make mistakes, he still has SO many enemies against him. These enemies hate him seemingly for no other reason than because of his faith, and through that his success and promised success from the Lord.

In other words, David has more enemies than he can even count simply because he obeys the Lord. This is a truth that echos through all history, and throughout the bible. It first started when Cain killed Abel because Abel properly honored the Lord and the Lord acknowledged that honor. It continues in every story where anyone actively follows the Lord, and the rest of the world stands opposed to that person seemingly for no reason other than to mock and hate that faith ... it happens to Noah, Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samson, Elijah, Daniel, just to name a few of the obvious ones. And Jesus told the disciples it would keep on happening.

Application: I am reminded today of the cost of following Jesus ... there is no such thing as a believer in Jesus Christ who is also beloved and honored by the world. Those who do receive widespread honor, do so primarily because others respect their message and practices, and relate to some element of their life or death that relates to advancing that cause (I think of ML King, who most people honor but conveniently forget that he was a minister).

If I honor the Lord and follow Jesus, I will be mostly disliked by coworkers, neighbors, and strangers. And there will be no clear reason why such people act with deceit and animosity toward me, nor why they think I am an enemy who owes them something because of how their lives have gone.

Prayer: Lord, you are all I need in life. I thank you for believers around me, and for my family. Please forgive me for the things I do wrong, for I know well they are many and I am absolutely not as good as I should be. However, I love you and seek to do your will, and as a result I do and will have enemies. May your hand be upon me, my wife, my children, my family, and my brothers and sisters in Christ. Protect us from those who seek to destroy us financially, morally, mentally, and even physically. Amen.