John 17: 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
We have been given the Word, and the world has hated us. That statement has never been more true than it is today, and if you are reading this, then most likely you are defender of that Word. The world wants the Word gone. The Word is truth, the Word is conviction for the world, the Word goes against what we are taught. The world has no use for the Word. All one has to do is look around today and see just how hard they are working to scrub the Word from everyday life. Yet Christ, knowing the hardships that lie ahead, for Him, and for us, did not ask to be removed, He did not ask for His Father to cut this life short. No…..He asked His Father to protect us from the evil one. That is just what He has done, offered His protection. There has never been any promise of an easy life when you choose to follow Christ. I would go as far as to say that if you find yourself at a point where you are not struggling spiritually, then it is not that you have “arrived” it is that you have started to become stagnant.
We have been given the Word, we have been trusted to go out and despite the hate, despite the resistance, despite the best laid plans of the devil, we have to share that word. We will be hated, for the world hates change, and we are not of this world. SO fight the fight of faith, know that if you are getting pushed it is because you are moving forward, if you experience resistance, it is because you are not standing still. Remember that we are protected, we are loved, and we have a job to do. The lukewarm Christian will tell you to sit back and let it pass, but I would ask….aren’t we glad Christ did not take that approach?
Peace to all and love in faith,
Brian Thetford
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