Scripture Sunday: John 15: 18-19

Every Sunday on this site I will take some time to look at a passage from the Bible that I like and think is great... though they could obviously be presented by themselves without further mention, I will throw my two cents in on what the verse(s) mean to me.

Today we look at some of Jesus' teaching from the Gospel of John:

"If the world hates you, realized that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own, but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you." (John 5: 18-19)

Jesus' teaching is clear... if we follow him, we will be met with opposition. There will be people that will think you are crazy (or, gasp, a Jesus freak), and people that will not understand your way of living.

Jesus reminds us and encourages us by the fact that He went through the same thing during his time on earth. He was persecuted to the point of crucifixion, yet we know it was all the will of His Father.

When we are persecuted or seen as an outcast because of our religious beliefs, we know that it is all the will of our Father, and if we are trying to live our lives according to the teachings of Jesus, we could be met with resistance. That is ok. We should rejoice in the fact that we are turning towards the way of God and away from the way of the world.

Always take comfort, Christ is with us always.