“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged 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. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master’. If they persecuted me they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” John 15:18-22, NIV
In this particular scripture passage, Jesus is preparing his disciples for his coming crucifixion. When Jesus walked the earth, there were people who accepted Him for who He was and loved Him and there were people who hated Him and rejected Him. He is preparing his disciples for the fact that they will be hated and persecuted just as He has been hated and persecuted.
One thing I discovered when I committed my life to Christ is that some people, or so-called friends, turned away from me. Sadly, there are people on this planet that don’t want to hear about Jesus Christ. They don’t want a relationship with Him and they don’t want any close association with anyone who does. Jesus has no place in their life. This saddens me because I know what life with Jesus is like. I also have lived a life where Jesus was way off in the background. I lived a life where I made Jesus sad and He patiently waited for me to come to my senses. Praise God, He accepted me with open arms once I did. I turned to God for selfish reasons. I turned to God because I couldn’t go on without Him. I was miserable in my lukewarm Christianity. I was miserable trying to have a foot in the church and a foot in the world. I had to give it all to God. Committing my life to Christ was like going from a dark, scary place into a beautiful bright sunny field filled with flowers. It was awesome. I have been through some hard times since then, but even the hard times are so much better when I feel God’s presence in my life.
I don’t consider people to be disposable. I am a people person. I want to do all I can to help others, but I will not neglect my relationship with Christ to do it. I will not turn away from Christ to save a friendship.
When we have a close relationship with Christ, we are his disciples. We are his followers. We too may suffer hatred and persecution. We too will face the fact that there are people in this world who don’t believe in, or who hate Christ. But the Bible clearly tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). We will face people that have been hurt by things that have happened in their lives and blame God for it. They are angry at God. We must persevere. We must remember the end goal. We need to get to heaven and we need to take as many people as possible with us. But some are gonna refuse to go. Some are going to not want anything to do with a life lived for Christ. We must not let this effect our walk with Him.
I have seen people forsake their own children for a relationship. Women leave their children for men. Men neglect their children because of the woman in their life. Sadly, people leave God because of relationships also. I have seen people turn their lives to Christ, but then they get involved in a relationship with a non-believer. First of all the Bible tells us that we should not be unequally yoked meaning that if you are seeking a soul mate, you need to be seeking someone who is a fellow believer. Entering into a relationship hoping you can change that person and lead them to your way of thinking is a huge risk. Often times the non-believer will lead the believer astray.
We must be on guard. We must be ready. Yes, some people are going to hate you because of your close relationship with Jesus Christ, but remember in John 16:33, Jesus tells his disciples, “..In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It won’t be all wine and roses serving Christ, but He will be with you every step of the way. People will hate you and persecute you, but don’t be discouraged. Know that God is with you. And when you are having a bad day, memorize John 16:33 and know that God has overcome the world and He can help you to do the same.
Have a great day!