If you are ridiculed for what you believe
know you are in good company.
Jesus said in John 15:18, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it
hated me first." This word “hate” is thrown around a lot these days.
Here is the dictionary definition: intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from
fear, anger, or sense of injury. No surprises
here, but let’s look deeper.
Hate
isn’t a dislike or a preference. It is a personal choice to have intense
hostility towards someone or something. In christianese we say things like, Hate the sin, love the sinner. But if we
unpack that statement we shouldn’t be surprise that sinners would hate us. So
once again Jesus isn’t surprised and warned us a long time ago.
Instead
of getting in debates over wordly things let’s follow the Great Commandment
that says LOVE God with all we have and treat the world as we would want to be
treated. Hate is easy – love takes courage. Be brave today!
Amen?