Day 2554 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
John 15:24 NIV
Everyone seems to be on this mission to prove that they're right. In recent years, it's just like everything has become an argument. You can't have an opinion that differs from popular thought. You can't share how you feel about some polarizing topic without being lambasted with vile rhetoric. And you better not even consider speaking the truth unless you just enjoy being beaten and bashed by a mob of comfort-seeking foes.
This society that has been built around us thrives on an illusion of power and control. People love thinking they get to dictate and decide what's right, what's wrong, what's important, what's worthless, and most of all, what's true. But in order to do all of that, they have to ignore the truth that's already been founded. They have to overturn the law that stands against their illusion of grandeur. People want to think they're better and more powerful than they are, so they try to steal power from whatever may prove they're wrong.
It's no wonder that the truth of the Gospel and the Author of that word are so despised down here. This place hates God because He stands for everything they're against. He is the author and definer of justice, truth, wisdom, authority, love, power, control, and every other thing that our world is trying to claim as its own. This world has long been an enemy of the Most High, but whether it be foolishness or just plain stupidity, they're just not willing to back down.
We've been talking for a few days about the worthless attempts that are undertaken to undermine what can't be defeated. God's law and His will are unbreakable, unchanging, unyielding. And this world just doesn't want to accept that. Sin has blinded so many for so long that they only know what it's like on the wrong side of right. They only know a life of darkness. They only know how to fight back in this attempt to hold on to some sense of control or superiority that was never theirs to begin with.
But sadly, that arrogant attempt to carve out a life of comfort and complacency in the dark shadows of selfishness has only led people to hating the ultimate version of love.
This world hates being proven wrong, and that's exactly what Christ did. He came to this earth to show us the errors in our way of doing things. He pointed out everything that we had gotten wrong. Yet He did it out of love. He did it to help us see that there's a better way. He did it to pierce through the shadows of sin and help us realize that we don't have to live a life hiding out in the dirt, scrounging around for something to bring us a little bit of joy.
But all that so many can see is that He doesn't want us to get our way. They think that surrendering to a higher power is the ultimate loss. No more pretending to be important. No more thinking we're more powerful than we are. No more focusing solely on what brings us pleasure or glory. No more sitting on some imaginary throne that we've tried for so long to prove to the world that we've built. Trading arrogance for humility is a pill just too big for many to swallow.
So they settle for hating whatever stands in their way. They hate whatever points out the chinks in their armor. They fight against anyone and anything that is different because different may just be better, may just be right, and might just prove that they're not all they've convinced themselves to be. Can't have that. So that's why our message and our mission won't be met with celebrations and cheers. That's why our journey through this world will be met with hatred, ridicule, argument, and maybe even violence.
But so be it. This world hates what's good. It hates whatever is righteous, holy, decent, upstanding, loving, kind, merciful, and gracious. It hates Christ. It hates God's word. It hates the idea of sin being a reality. It hates being wrong. But that doesn't change the fact that it is wrong. A long time ago humanity chose to go left when it should have gone right. It chose to follow the lies of sin rather than the narrow path of righteousness. And it never stopped.
Friends, we're going to be invited to plenty of fights and arguments along the way. We're going to be hated and persecuted for being different and standing up against the delusions that our world has chosen to believe. The love we're called to share will be met with hatred that is undeserved. But don't let it stop you. Don't let it cause you to live in fear. This place will always hate what's good. So, if it hates you then you must be doing something right. You're in the very best company!
Comments
Post a Comment