Scripture Verses
John 15:18-16:4
18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If 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. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'[b]
26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
John 16
1"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.
Devotion
Have you ever said something is “out of this world”? Usually this means something is different or exceptional. In the scripture passage for today, Jesus, in verse 19, says “…I have chosen you out of the world...” In this sense, Jesus is relating to the disciples that they, and we as Christians, are to be “different” from the world around us. Jesus makes several comparisons. He says the world will not “love us” because we are not “its own”. As the world of Jesus’ day persecuted Him, we should expect the same – because we are called to be different.
But are we? Have you and I been persecuted or hated? Can anyone tell we are disciples of Jesus in our daily lives, or do we “blend in” with the world? In other parts of the globe followers of Jesus ARE being persecuted, even killed for their faith. As we look at the social landscape in America today, we may feel that the cultural changes that are counter-Christian should be halted. That would be nice, but it is not what Jesus warned His followers about. We should expect difficulties – “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” (verse 21)
So – what does that mean for us? Jesus said “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray”. As we live in the world, I believe we need to ask for God’s help to be “out of the world” – in the way we live, work, talk, worship, and relate to people around us. I’m not looking for persecution, but if it comes to the church, I pray that we will heed Jesus’ admonition and “remember” that we are HIS for a purpose. As the church, let’s reach out into the world and draw people to the Savior.
Prayer
Dear God, please help me to be “out of the world” today. May the way I live show the difference Jesus has made in my life. Help me to understand that because people do not know you, they may treat me as an outsider or worse. Help me to show the love of Jesus and make a difference to the people around me. Amen.
|
