Not Peace, but a Sword

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

While Jesus came to establish peace for us with God the Father, His purpose on earth was not to establish peace for us in this life, contrary to the opinion of many. As we read in the above verse, Jesus warned His disciples that He did not come for peace, but a sword. Genuine followers of Christ will suffer persecution, conflict, and the loss of friends. When a Christian stands unwavering in the truth of God, they will at some point face the disgust of others and the loss of people they love (even members of their family, as mentioned in the verses above!).

By my very nature, I am a people pleaser. I like for people to like me. Unfortunately, when we as Christians choose to stand firm (Ephesians 6:14-15) in the teaching of scripture, there will be people who hate us and choose to not have anything to do with us; but we must make a choice. We either choose the praise of men (John 12:43), or we choose to take up our cross and follow Christ.