Fear No Fear

“Consider how much love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (1 John 3:1, MEV). The world doesn’t hate you. It doesn’t dislike you. If you are being persecuted because of your devotion to Jesus, it is because they see Him in you. It’s a great compliment – although the persecution does NOT feel good. The world is challenged by Jesus. They don’t like being challenged. They don’t like how they feel when they see incontrovertible proof that their way doesn’t work. That it doesn’t lead to true life. That it is a shadow and it tainted with darkness. They don’t LIKE that. They don’t LIKE having their spirits reminded that they are broken. So they lash out. They can no longer reach Jesus, so they reach wherever they see Jesus. They try to take out organizations doing Jesus’ work. They try to smear people who are doing Jesus’ work. They try to pressure everyone who is doing Jesus’ work so that they will give up. Jesus’ work is to LOVE the world. To shine His selfless, perfect love into their hearts and into their minds. And they hate that. They don’t like it and they don’t understand it and they fear what they don’t understand. That is why we are not lauded for our values. That is why we are shouted down and called names. Because they don’t like how the truth feels when it shines onto and into them. But take heart. Here we may not be lauded, but God is watching. He is watching each and every thing that happens and He is rewarding our faithfulness to Jesus’ work. He is rewarding our standing on His values. He is rewarding our taking a hold of the Word and refusing to let go no matter how hard the winds of social change blow. We are being SEEN and He is very proud of us. He LOVES us. And He LOVES that we are obeying Him, no matter what.