Day 2577 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
Luke 10:16 NIV
When we make our lives all about us then anything that happens is likely to be taken personally. We've talked for several days now about this instinctual desire to focus on ourselves and what we want. We've discussed the fact that we're not here to build up these perfect lives based on the world's definition of perfect. But all of it boils down to the fact that focusing on ourselves will only distract us from the job we're supposed to be doing in the limited time we're given on this earth.
We're here to share Christ. To spread the Good News of His salvation. To tell those around us about the radical changes that He's made in our lives. To testify to the saving grace that we've found in the Gospel. And to help others see that a life without Christ at the center is really no life at all. We're here to help people find their way through the muck of worldly living so that they too have the opportunity to accept Jesus into their hearts and find the eternal peace that He offers to all of us.
But a large part of that mission involves conveying the truth of sin. It involves confronting the complacency that has many living it up in this wicked place. It means telling people the truth about the lies that they have long believed were true. It means being different, living differently, and doing what goes against the grain of society. You can see where that's probably going to bring all sorts of friction and maybe even some hatred our way.
That's where we need to remember what this verse is teaching us. It's not about us. When the world inevitably hates us for following Jesus and being the kind of different that He calls us to be, it's not us that they're angry at. When the world turns against us or pushes us aside or refuses to listen to anything we have to say, they're not against us. They're against the One we're serving. They're ignoring the message that Christ calls us to share. They're turning their backs on the love of our Father.
I understand that we're probably going to take it personally at first. I can definitely admit that I have. You sit there wondering why the friends you always had no longer want anything to do with you. You go over all these questions about what you've done wrong and what you could have done differently. You look around at your life one day and realize that it's nothing like what it once was. And you wonder what happened.
The answer is simple: Jesus happened. His salvation changed us. His mercy opened a door that our sin had closed. His rebirth and renewal brought us into a new life that is massively different than what we've always known. Our faith changes things, and it changes us. It sets us on a new path to a different destination. It changes our priorities and the things that we focus on. It really does create in us a new heart set on a different kind of life serving something bigger than ourselves.
Do not be surprised when the road of faith leads to the sting of rejection. We're going to lose things along the way. We're going to have friends that suddenly seem more like enemies. We're going to open the door to a more hostile and more alien world than what we've always known. But don't let it force you back into being who you used to be. Don't let the pressure of this world pound you back into the place they want you to stay. Don't let the rejection, the hatred, the persecution cause you to think you're doing something wrong.
This life isn't supposed to be the comfortable part of the story. It's the beginning. Don't live this part according to what others want to hear, what they want you to be. Live it for Jesus knowing that doing so is the only path to the eternal peace that we all hope to find. Sure, the road there may be rough. It may be uncomfortable. It may grow more narrow as we go along. So be it. This isn't a popularity contest. It's a mission to point the world to the only hope that any of us have.
It's gonna hurt to see the world turn against you for trying to do what's right. It's gonna hurt when others grow hateful and vile when we start sharing the truth. But it's not against us. It's against Jesus. They hate the Jesus that they see in us. They hate the truth that they hear in God's word that we share. They hate the realization that they're in the wrong. In the end, they hate God and His ways. We're just the messengers who are standing in the gap trying to help people see through the lies so that they have a chance at something better.
Just remember that it’s about the ones who can still be reached. It’s for the ones that are willing to hear the truth. It’s for the ones that can still be saved. We may be hated by many, but helping the few that end up in Heaven is well worth whatever it takes to help get them there!
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