Be Reckless

If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first.

John 15:18 (CEV)

If I say anything, I’ll be unfriended. They will block me. They will . . . hate me.

So many things can land you in the no-friend zone. It’s a battlefield out there. You have to say things that won’t offend anyone. You have to dress a certain way to fit in with the crowd. You need a certain number of followers on social media to be relevant.

Jesus tended to not care about what people thought about him. He called people out when they were wrong. He upset the status quo. He didn’t let people off easy. He disagreed. He made them face their sin. He exposed prejudice and hypocrisy. He didn’t make it easy for people to like him.

Jesus pointed people back to God, and because they wanted to live their own way, they hated him for it. He didn’t play it safe, and he ended up being killed—crucified by an angry mob.

But Jesus didn’t want to live safely. His measure of success was not in how many friends he had. He was on a mission with consequences far beyond this life. He valued God’s approval over people’s, and through his life, he changed the world.

Safety or the number of likes you get is not the goal. Your life is worth so much more than people’s temporary approval. Following Jesus is reckless according to the world’s standards. Be reckless!

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Think of some of the decisions you have made to gain the approval or “likes” from others. Often, these decisions aren’t in line with God’s Word. What were your motivations, and how can you avoid these patterns in the future? Using the prompts below, map out a plan of attack to be reckless for God!

• Decision I Made
• Why I Did It
• How I’ll Fix It (with God’s Help!)

INSPIRATION

“Satan hates God for his own sake, and everything that is dear to God he hates for the very reason that God loves it.”

—A.W. Tozer, American pastor and author in the mid-1900s

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 34:21-22

Psalm 71:24

John 16:33

1 John 3:12-13

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This devotional was written by Tonia Gutting for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage Military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your Military family, check out our website.www.myherosquad.org.