Serious maltreatment - come and see. Jesus said to His disciples in John 15v6:
"If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered: and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
Serious maltreatment - come and see!!! Note the progression, if you don't abide in Jesus (signifying there was some sort of dwelling in Him before... or perhaps not), that person is cast off as a branch (so initially, the person is still a branch, things are still seemingly all fine and dandy.
Next thing the person knows, they begin to wither. Now I don't know which weather makes you wither more - perhaps winter, perhaps summer, perhaps rain, perhaps snow. But that assurance that the person formerly had about when they pass through the waters, it would not overflow them; when they go through the fire, they will not be burned, neither will the flames kindle upon them, would all be gone. They can no longer be guaranteed that like Daniel, the lions will not eat them up or like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that the flames would not burn them. Nope, not at all - the person begins to wither.
Finally, men gather them up and put them in the only place they seem useful - the fire, perhaps where they can produce heat to fuel other people's passions. May this never be our portion in Jesus name. Remember the sons of Sceva.
Have a blessed day.
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