October 16 – A World of Hate (1 John 3:11-16)

“Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.”
(1 John 3:13)

IN WORD:
It has been the way of the world from the beginning. Cain was jealous of Abel, his jealousy turned to hatred, and his hatred turned violent. The tradition has been carried on by Joseph’s brothers, Pharoah’s soldiers, Jews and Romans who hated the incarnate God and His followers, and on and on. People are killed simply for claiming Jesus. And we should not be surprised at all.
Why this enmity? Go back to the Garden of Eden. The serpent and the seed of God’s children have been at odds since day one. There is a cosmic war raging, and we’re in the middle of it. Now that the Messiah has defeated death and raised us to unspeakable heights, the enemy’s sense of vengeance runs deeper than ever. We were born into that bad environment (Ephesians 2:1-3), but we’ve been delivered. And there is no halfway house. We chose sides. That didn’t go unnoticed in the shadows of this world.
But it is a strange phenomenon that the world doesn’t believe it is at enmity with God. Scripture is emphatic about its hatred (James 4:4, for example), but our culture thinks that tolerance for the possibility of a Creator is the same as friendship with Him. The truth of its hatred only comes out when His Lordship is asserted, never before. We think God’s people are at peace with an unbelieving society until righteousness is preached. Then things get ugly, and we’re surprised.

IN DEED:
Don’t be. Abandon the illusion that we can be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time. That’s a fantasy that is never supported in Scripture. We can have a decent reputation, we can serve humbly and admirably in our society, and we can earn the respect of many. But it is a superficial respect. Don’t be taken in by it; take it with a grain of salt. A mere mention of Jesus could forfeit all the acceptance you think you’ve earned. Never give the world’s esteem much effort, and cling to the surpassing worth of the Lord you’ve chosen. Ultimately, only His opinion matters.

“Hold everything earthly with a loose hand.”
-Charles Spurgeon-