This letter is for those of you who have been called by the Lord Jesus Christ to go a little further with Him than some of our brethren, who are living for His glory while battling the flesh, who are compelled to reach out to others for the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of an adulterous and perverse society. Who have decided to live with the frustrations of not only the wicked and their ways, but of our brothers and sisters in Christ who seem to be stagnant on the path.
I offer you, my fellow slaves, this advice. Be kind.
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” (James 3:1)
We know we are to reprove, and we find no fear in doing so, but we must be kind. We are to rebuke, but with all longsuffering, we are to correct, but never in anger. Save your anger for the ones who hate your Father in heaven, but reveal it only to yourself, show them love. Give them a drink of water, heap coals on their head, tell them of the eternal damnation that awaits them if they do not repent.
Just because we have the ability to cast mountains into the sea does not mean we should do so at every turn.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34)
If you are one who has been called to go apart with the Lord, away from the crowd, you know full well that most of your righteous anger is not directed towards the wicked, we expect them to behave wickedly, it is that anger that begins to burn against our brothers and sisters in the Lord that must be hindered.
“Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)
Pride does not say this, for if it did you would be taught a lesson you would not soon forget, but some are standing on the Rock of our salvation more firmly than others.
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1st Cor. 9:27)
I will put it bluntly, you asked for this. You wanted wisdom, and you knew that with much wisdom comes much grief, you wanted knowledge, you knew sorrow was a part of the bargain. You wanted to be conformed into the image of the Son of God, that means joining Him in the fellowship of His suffering. You wanted to walk with Christ, He walks in the valley of the shadow of death, He does not go around the fires of life, He does not shy away from trials and tribulations.
But not all who call on Him for the salvation of their souls want to walk these paths with Him, and you must never deride them, you must never belittle them, you must encourage them on the part of the path they are on, but it is not your place to ask them to join you. That is up to your Master.
“Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” (John 21:22)
Herein is not only where pride can gain a foothold in your life, but a frustration that is not befitting of one who has been called to go a little further. I will say this as best as I know how to at this time, do you not envy those a little whose lives are lived for the Lord on a part of the path that is smoother than the one you have been called to walk upon, one that you asked for when you said and meant with all your heart, “Use me?”
The closer to the Almighty, the more difficult the labors, but know this, the higher up Jacob’s Ladder, the further there is to fall.
You wanted this, you wanted to be consumed by Him, you wanted to be profitable in the extreme. You wanted to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Be kind to them, let them walk the part of the path they are on.
