By: Lisa Wilmore
To all of God’s children:
To God be the glory for all the things he has done for me. I am grateful for another chance to do what pleases him. He is awesome and worthy to be praised. I truly thank him for his son, Jesus who died and rose for my sins. I have been justified (declared not guilty) through his precious blood. So, for this magnificent gift, I am thankful!!
First, I must share with some and enlighten others that since you have been saved “by grace, through faith”, persons you have known all of your life will begin to treat you differently. Like Jesus, you will be hated without a cause.
Next, because of your love and acceptance of Jesus, the world will hate you. We should not be surprised when people in the world position themselves in opposition against the children of God. Just two weeks ago the written message for this publication expressed that “God commands us to love our enemies”. In saying that, in spite of how persons mistreat and persecute us, we must love them.
In addition, Jesus said to his disciples…” if the world hate you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you…If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teachings, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one that sent me” (John 15: 18-21 NIV).
Although understanding persecution from the world may be difficult to comprehend, it is a reality. Our persecutions may not be as harsh as those in the bible days, but they are indeed established throughout our christian lives. What struggles are you exemplifying due to your love for Jesus and the life that he commanded you to live?
Of course, God’s standard of living sets you apart from others who may not understand your mannerism or lifestyle. Based on my experience, comments are easily made by persons such as, “you think you are more than they are” or “you think you are too good to do certain things”. In like manner, they said worse things to and about Jesus.
Lastly, in the above mentioned text, Jesus clearly reminded his disciples that christians will be persecuted because of his name. The world hates those who love Jesus.
