Stronger than Hate

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

John 15:18 (CEV)

Everyone wants to be liked. We want people to think we’re fun, admire what we can do, agree with us, and want to hang out with us.

But all of us go through times when we feel people don’t like us. And when that happens, we tend to think something is wrong with us. Perhaps we don’t meet the standards of the crowd. We just aren’t… good enough. Or at least it feels that way.

But Jesus acknowledged and accepted that the world hated him. He was God’s Son, and he always obeyed God. When he was around religious leaders, he said and did things that sometimes made them angry. When crowds gathered to listen to him, he said things that were hard to understand or seemed too hard to do. People who didn’t want to obey God hated his actions and words.

People may or may not like us for many reasons. But sometimes they will hate us simply because we love and obey God. Times may come when we will have to choose between following God or being popular. Being friends with God holds the bigger reward. Jesus was killed because of hate, but hate did not win. Through his sacrifice we can have eternal life with the God who loves us. So, try not to worry about the haters. Gods got your back!

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Have you thought about all the hard things Jesus went through for you? Jot them down in a journal or piece of paper. Take some time to pray and thank him for everything he did, and for his great love for you. It’s because of all he did that we can live with him forever!

PRAY

Lord, help me to hold onto your love always! And give me bravery to show your love to those who hate.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and put on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Read through the following passages today in the tabbed Bible References.

Psalm 34:21-22

Psalm 71:24

John 16:33

1 John 3:12-13

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Tonia Gutting wrote this devotional 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.