The world hates you… (1 John 3:11-24) 210408
It has been a month that I have not been writing my devotion. Life has been tough. Assignments, my daddy’s heart surgery, and others occupied my whole life. But life is greater than living. God has been good to me even though I am so caught up with all the worries of life. God still speaks when I am reflecting on the assignments I have to do, when I on my way to visit and pray for my daddy, and when I am washing Alethea’s milk bottles every night, I have a good conversation with God. That’s my spirituality.
I am thankful as I was going through this period of my life, many brothers and sisters came alongside to encourage me and showed me love. Indeed, this is an expression of verse 11: loving one another. This is Christianity. This is a mark of a disciple. But love is more than words, it is an action verb. We do not love with words or with tongue, but in deed and truth (v. 18). Love is not convenience. Love is to be expressed out of our convenience, out of our comfort zone. It is so out of ourselves, that the world will find us weird!
My eyes are caught on verse 13: Do not marvel, brethren if the world hates you. It is almost telling us that the reality is that THE WORLD HATES US!!!
We are commanded not to love the world, but love the Lord our God only. I wonder do we obey such commandment? We confess and profess as Christian and have our life under the authority of Scripture, but how much of the Scripture do we obey and follow and believe? In this passage, Apostle John is reminding us to love. Love God, love His people and the people who are in the world.
If we do not love, the world will love us. If we love, the world will hate us. Isn’t this an irony?
I do not want to legalize by defining that our work and our study is the world. I do not want to overspecialize that coming for Cell Group and taking time to do devotion is loving God and loving one another. But if we are honest with ourselves, I am sure you know where is your "world", and you will know what do you love.
I struggle for time between visiting my father and rushing my assignments. I have good reason to finish my assignments before my two sisters go back to Hong Kong and Holland, because by then I will have to have more time to help my mother to take care of my daddy and Alethea. But I know that my visitation means a lot to my daddy, though he does not talk to me much. But he knows that I love him and care for him. The rainy spells lately makes me more inconvenience to visit him as I can’t go on my bike. But i try to visit him almost everyday. I am tired doing so, but I know this is the right thing to do. I have to sacrifice my time for assignments which is the "world" to me in this season of my life. But I yet I still managed to complete all my assignments yesterday!
Let the world hates you, show love. Have you call your prayer partner? I have not done so. Have you lately go out of your way to encourage someone? I have not done so. Let us show love to one another and let the world hates you.
HHS…
Abel…
