If the world hates you, ye know that
it hated Me before it hated you.
John 15:18
I find it amazing that the One who was the Savior of the Gentiles, and the Messiah of His fellow Jews, could be so hated and maligned...
it hated Me before it hated you.
John 15:18
I find it amazing that the One who was the Savior of the Gentiles, and the Messiah of His fellow Jews, could be so hated and maligned...
In some places, Christ was welcomed, of course. But His welcome was usually short-lived.
I do not believe it is any different today. The disciples of the Lord are hated. In many parts of the world, our fellow brothers and sisters are hunted down, arrested, scorned, and ostracized. The Bible says about the Savior, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people" (Matthew 4:23).
In spite of healing all who came to Him, to include those who were blind, paralyzed and demonically oppressed, He was still hated. So much so that, within several years, Jesus would be nailed to a cross. The greater majority of the religious rulers, and even the general public, clamored for his death.
Well, that same rage and hatred the world had towards Christ, is still here. It has never left. And now the targets are His disciples. There is a cost in following the Lord. In North America, the contempt for Jesus and His disciples is subtle. While in many other nations it is more pronounced and visible. But it is persecution none the less.
We should not be surprised, however. Jesus himself said we would be hated, and for the most part, we are. Yet this is a good sign. It reveals that the words and presence of the Savior are real. They continue to have an impact upon society.
Prison is not any different. Christians, who practice their faith and love God, are usually despised. Even more than our brethren on the outside realize. But we are learning to count it all joy. If Jesus suffered, so will we. In the prison society, where crime is glorified and drugs and gangs abound, God's grace abounds as well.
There will always be a cost in being devoted to the Lord. It is a cost that may cause a disciple of Jesus to lose his life. Yet a great reward, I believe, awaits prisoners who have faithfully served the King of the Universe. As the prophet Daniel wrote in centuries past, those men and women, although incarcerated, will "shine as the stars," forever.
D.B.
I do not believe it is any different today. The disciples of the Lord are hated. In many parts of the world, our fellow brothers and sisters are hunted down, arrested, scorned, and ostracized. The Bible says about the Savior, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people" (Matthew 4:23).
In spite of healing all who came to Him, to include those who were blind, paralyzed and demonically oppressed, He was still hated. So much so that, within several years, Jesus would be nailed to a cross. The greater majority of the religious rulers, and even the general public, clamored for his death.
Well, that same rage and hatred the world had towards Christ, is still here. It has never left. And now the targets are His disciples. There is a cost in following the Lord. In North America, the contempt for Jesus and His disciples is subtle. While in many other nations it is more pronounced and visible. But it is persecution none the less.
We should not be surprised, however. Jesus himself said we would be hated, and for the most part, we are. Yet this is a good sign. It reveals that the words and presence of the Savior are real. They continue to have an impact upon society.
Prison is not any different. Christians, who practice their faith and love God, are usually despised. Even more than our brethren on the outside realize. But we are learning to count it all joy. If Jesus suffered, so will we. In the prison society, where crime is glorified and drugs and gangs abound, God's grace abounds as well.
There will always be a cost in being devoted to the Lord. It is a cost that may cause a disciple of Jesus to lose his life. Yet a great reward, I believe, awaits prisoners who have faithfully served the King of the Universe. As the prophet Daniel wrote in centuries past, those men and women, although incarcerated, will "shine as the stars," forever.
D.B.
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