Don't Hate

Everybody loves to be loved. Everybody loves to be cared for and cared about. I believe that everyone alive today has a longing to be apart of a group, accepted, and loved. I had a teenager tell me 2 weeks ago that she could go all day at school without any interaction with another student. I quickly replied (by the way, with this particular teen, there is no way she could do this) I would love to see you make it 20 min. without talking to someone.

One of the things I find strange about the Christian life, is that for me to be 100% sold out to Jesus Christ, the Bible says, I will be persecuted. One type of persecution is when people that were friends are no longer because of my choice to live a faith filled life. That leads to the question that people have asked over and over, 'If you're not being persecuted for Jesus Christ, are you really following Him?'

I find sometime in my life there is no friction or tension between my world view and close friends of my mine with a different world view. I hope that my life hasn't blurred the line betweens believers and nonbelievers. I pray, for myself and for all Christ followers, that we all will be set apart and that we will be in the world but not of the world.

Greg Laurie in his book "Let God Change Your Life" puts it this way,

"We will either find harmony with God and friction with the people in our lives, or we will have harmony with people and friction with God. If we live the way that God wants us to live, then it's going to seriously bother some people....

If you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ and living in His way, certain people won't like you for that reason alone. Don't be hurt by that rejection. We must understand that this is par for the course. As Jesus said, 'A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you' (John 15:20)."

A TRUE DISCIPLE LOVES GOD MORE THAN ANYONE OR ANYTHING ELSE

stay HUMBLED

stay FOCUSED

love GOD

love PEOPLE