By Greg Laurie
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.”
—John 15:18
Note: This month we’re journeying through the Gospel of John. Today our passage is from John 15.
John 15:18–27
Jesus has already instructed His followers to love one another, to stay connected to Him (the true vine), and to produce fruit in the world. Now He wants us to understand that doing those things will cost us dearly. In fact, people will hate us and persecute us for them.
We shouldn’t be surprised by it. We shouldn’t try to avoid it. We couldn’t if we tried anyway. There’s no safe path for followers of Christ. It’s not a matter of if the world will hate us; it’s only a matter of when. Our best strategy is to anticipate and prepare for it.
But that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? Hate isn’t such a big deal when it’s used to describe a reaction to cauliflower or mosquitoes. But when someone talks about hating a person, it is a big deal. And when that person is you, it’s a really big deal.
Categories: INSPIRATIONAL DEVOTIONS
Luke 21:36 "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."