Love me, Hate me – Devotion for
Do you have a mortal enemy? I love to watch the re-runs of “Seinfeld,” and I always love it when Newman comes walking into the room, and you have this exchange between the two enemies: “Hello, Jerry.” “Helloooo, NEWMAN!” Even if you’ve never seen the show before, you know what it is like for two people to hate or strongly dislike one another, and it is not a pleasant thing to be around. Most of us want to love and be loved, and like to think that people like us and not hate us. The problem is this: we aren’t supposed to always be liked or loved!
John Wesley felt that Christianity when rightly practiced would always be met with resistance. As Jesus Christ is sending out his disciples in Matthew 10, he warns them, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” (Matthew 10:21-22). As I understand it, if we are living in the name of Jesus Christ, whether we know it or not, someone hates us. Conversely, if we aren’t living fully in the name of Jesus Christ, then all people may not like us, but we probably aren’t hated. So to experience true love we must also experience true hate. For someone to hate us, we’ve got to take a stand in the name of Jesus Christ – we’ve got to be identified with Him by more than just our words. Today, are you identified with Christ? Are you ready to be hated? “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” (Matthew 10:24) If Jesus was hated, we can’t be above being hated as well. Stand up for Christ. Be identified with Him.
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