Hey New Life,
How are you doing this week?
Big, Small. Tall, Short. Fast, Slow. Hate, Love.
In Sunday’s passage, we saw the last opposite pair. Jesus says the world will hate us because it has hated Christ first. That’s not very good news.
But the way we can endure such hatred is to be centered on the love we have from God in Christ. Because we have been loved so deeply and richly in Christ, we are able to endure the hatred of the world.
We see the love of God displayed on the cross. Jesus was rejected by the world and the Father on the cross so that we may be received into His loving arms. He was hated by the world first so that we may be loved by God in Him.
I didn’t share this in the sermon. When we are loved by God so much, we are to love our neighbor and this world as Christ has loved us, even as we are hated by the world. This is because He first loved us when we were part of the world.
Hope this challenges, encourages, and strengthens you this week! God bless!
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
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