“Our Lord tells us that true Christians must make up their minds regarding trouble in this world. Whether we are ministers or hearers, whether we teach or are taught, it makes little difference. We must carry ‘a cross.’ We must be content to lose even life itself for Christ’s sake. We must submit to the loss of man’s favor, we must endure hardships, we must deny ourselves in many things, or we shall never reach heaven at last. So long as the world, the devil and our own hearts are what they are, these things must be so.”

~ J.C. Ryle

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986], 106.