A provocative title today, huh? Jesus spoke often about love. It’s kind of what He was all about. But today we hear Him speak of hate. And not just generically, but very specifically. He tells the disciples, “Because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.”
The Christian band DC Talk has a song called “We All Wanna Be Loved.” How true that is. We do all want to be loved. It is part of our DNA. Our deepest desire is to be loved. Conversely, none of us wants to be hated. It is a repugnant thought, isn’t it? And yet, by virtue of the fact that we are followers of Christ, we are hated. This has always been the case, still is today, and will be until Christ returns.
Many times we so strongly don’t want to be hated that we will do anything not to be. Which means we capitulate to the whims of the world. We set our values aside and go along with the world. Big mistake! I hope we can reach the point where it is much more important to be faithful to God than it is to not be hated by the world. Because last time I checked, the judgement of the world doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
Father, we know that we will be hated by the world. Help us to stop caring what the world thinks, and to start caring more about what You think. Amen.
0 comments