“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

Today’s scripture nugget, comes from a section within the gospel of John containing a few themes that wrap up to a single major statement. The world, those who love to do their own thing and enjoy their sin, hates the light (that is Jesus). Jesus, as the light, exposes the sin of the world for what it is and those in the world – living under the cover of darkness – hates this light. Because we are to mimic Christ Jesus, making His light shine bright from within us, the world will hate us too. Jesus clearly states that living for Him will separate us from the ways of the world. It will make our thoughts and reasoning different from that of the worlds, making us enemies to those who wish to spread lies and live in deliberate sin. The truth of the gospel presents a direct resistance to the thoughts and practices of the sinful. Leading them to resort to name calling and smear campaigns designed to cast a thick shroud over anyone searching for the light. All this to reiterate God’s word, “You do not belong to the world…That is why the world hates you.”

But fear not, because God has chosen us. He has presented His case to us, and as Christians, we chose to believe and be saved. We are not here, in this time and on this Earth, to be loved by this world. We are only here to show the world how to love and be loved by Christ Jesus. So let the world continue to hate, scripture warns us of this truth, we just have to continue to burn our lamps brighter for our Lord Jesus.