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be repeated to those newly come to the faith. God desires the old and
tried laborers to stand in their place, doing their part to save men and
women from being swept downward by the mighty current of evil. He
desires them to keep the armor on till He bids them lay it down.
In the experience of the apostle John under persecution, there is a
lesson of wonderful strength and comfort for the Christian. God does
not prevent the plottings of wicked men, but He causes their devices
to work for good to those who in trial and conflict maintain their faith
and loyalty. Often the gospel laborer carries on his work amid storms
of persecution, bitter opposition, and unjust reproach. At such times
let him remember that the experience to be gained in the furnace of
trial and affliction is worth all the pain it costs. Thus God brings His
children near to Him, that He may show them their weakness and His
strength. He teaches them to lean on Him. Thus He prepares them
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to meet emergencies, to fill positions of trust, and to accomplish the
great purpose for which their powers were given them.
In all ages God’s appointed witnesses have exposed themselves to
reproach and persecution for the truth’s sake. Joseph was maligned
and persecuted because he preserved his virtue and integrity. David,
the chosen messenger of God, was hunted like a beast of prey by his
enemies. Daniel was cast into a den of lions because he was true to his
allegiance to heaven. Job was deprived of his worldly possessions, and
so afflicted in body that he was abhorred by his relatives, and friends;
yet he maintained his integrity. Jeremiah could not be deterred from
speaking the words that God had given him to speak; and his testimony
so enraged the king and princes that he was cast into a loathsome pit.
Stephen was stoned because he preached Christ and Him crucified.
Paul was imprisoned, beaten with rods, stoned, and finally put to death
because he was a faithful messenger for God to the Gentiles. And John
was banished to the Isle of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the
testimony of Jesus Christ.”
These examples of human steadfastness bear witness to the faith-
fulness of God’s promises—of His abiding presence and sustaining
grace. They testify to the power of faith to withstand the powers of the
world. It is the work of faith to rest in God in the darkest hour, to feel,
however sorely tried and tempest-tossed, that our Father is at the helm.
The eye of faith alone can look beyond the things of time to estimate
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aright the worth of the eternal riches.