Chosen for Love not Hate

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. John 15:18-19 

Hate is a horrible emotion—draining life and love from a person’s heart and soul. “Hate” is actually found 93 times in the NASB version of the Bible, as compared with 348 times that “love” is listed. Obviously God wants us to focus on “love” more than hate…which is logical since God is Love (1John 4:8). The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate. Proverbs 8:13. Evil is what we are to hate. Let’s not forget the teaching in Ecclesiastes concerning that there is a time for everything under the sun. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:8. Jesus is telling His disciples in this passage in John 15 that the world hates His followers. But Jesus taught earlier in His Sermon on the Mount that we should love our enemies, or those who hate us. You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48. That is a big order to fill…be perfect. Only with God’s help could we ever attain perfection. I think we’ll be in heaven then. 

RSVP: Jesus is instructing us that we will be hated because we love Him. Can you endure hatred to be loved by God? How will you respond today to Jesus and His message? 

Prayer ~ Jesus, just as You loved the unlovable and those who hated You, give me the courage to show love for those who may ridicule or hate Christians, Christianity, and even You, Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. My all who walk beside me and after me find me faithful to You, enduring the hatred of the world. Thank you for choosing me to love You.

© 2014 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.