The World Will Hate You

In response to a comment, I just want to say that as a follower of Jesus, we will not be liked by the world. As a matter of fact, Jesus said, "if the world hates me they will hate you. If the World persecutes me, they will persecute you." I actually pondered this question a couple of days ago when I began thinking about my quest for popularity among people. The Holy Spirit began bringing all the great men of faith into my mind. Paul, Peter, David, Moses, Noah, and the list could go on. As I thought about these men, I realized that they were not liked by many people. They were slandered, beaten, spoken against, imprisoned, etc. I thought of all they went through for the cause of Christ and that Jesus words proved true.

We spend so much of our lives trying to "make" people like us. Trying so hard to please others that we fail to please the only one who matters. I've heard it said, when we live, we should be living for ONE audience. I have learned to do that, I must continually ask God to renew my mind and keep me focused on Him. It's hard but with the power of the Holy Spirit, it is not impossible. When we stand before God on the day of judgement, our popularity among men won't matter. We won't be able to plead our case of being accepted by our piers. On the contrary, that might not be a good thing. I have this quote framed on my wall to serve as a reminder of what we should live for on this earth.

"May the final words you hear before entering into eternity be: Well done, thy good and faithful servant."

We should live in such a way that those are the final words we hear before walking into the eternal presence of our Holy God.