Playing with Snakes
After a tough and discouraging day at work, Melvin plopped himself on the couch and began wallowing in self-pity. He moaned to his wife, “Nobody cares about me. In fact, the whole world hates me.” Without even looking up from her work, Melvin’s wife replied, “That’s not true, honey.” The whole world couldn’t possibly hate you, because most of them don’t even know you.”
The above story is a funny little joke from a sermon by Stephen Collins called Our Biggest Challenge. Yet Jesus was not joking when he said the following to his disciples in John chapter 15:18-19. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Many times we think we can get along with the world and follow Jesus. Yet Jesus reminds us that the world hated him. It reminds me of a friend who had a pet snake. Fortunately, it was non venomous but it constantly escaped its cage and then would bite her or a family member until it was caught. Its nature was to strike and kill. We forget that the world has no interest in the things of God and the ways of God. Jesus reminded his followers in chapter 14 “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
Our prayer this day is that our love for God and the things of God will grow. If we love him, we will follow him but you cannot love Him and love the world at the same time. You will have to choose.
Pastor Aaron
Executive Pastor