Bible Devotions for Living

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they don’t know the One who sent Me.” (Jn 15:18-21)

Jesus said the world will hate you because He chose you out of the world. As a believer in Him, you no longer fit in and will be hated and even persecuted as an outsider by the world. So, the question is … ‘Do you ever see signs that you are not embraced by the world?’ Are you ever mocked or persecuted overtly by non-believers for your actions, thoughts, or beliefs? Do you see subtle signs of the world not wanting anything to do with you like not being invited to lunch by coworkers, left out of some conversations, even avoided by worldly people … etc? You should be experiencing or seeing some ways the world is not embracing and including you since you don’t belong to it.

Are you? If not, why not? After all, Jesus said you would, and you are the smell of death to the unsaved (2 Cor 2:15-16).

If the world does not treat you differently for your faith it could be for several reasons:

• You are not a believer in Christ and are living like the world
• You are a believer but live like a non-believer and they think you’re one of them
• You are a closet believer who never share your faith or speak of God and His Word. They just think you’re nice and leave you alone.

Do any of those reasons describe your Christian witness to the outside world?

God gave believers four main ways to live out your faith:

• Wearing your faith on your sleeve by telling others about your faith in the Lord Jesus
• Live a holy life so your lifestyle will stand out from non-believers lifestyles
• Do the works of God
• Talk about God, your faith, about God’s Word (sin, need for salvation, about God).

If you do these things, you will be living aligned to God’s Word and be an obvious Christian to the world … and that means you will be persecuted.

If you live a quiet Christian life with a closed mouth about your faith, beliefs, and truth of God, you will be off the world’s radar but that is not how God tells you to live.

Think about Jesus’ lifestyle here for a minute. If He had just lived a holy life without living boldly for God, would He have been hated and persecuted for it. Probably not. If He had just walked around healing people without preaching or mentioning the Father, would He have been hated and persecuted? Probably not. If He had just talked about God the Father without preaching judgment, sin, and salvation would He have been hated and persecuted? Probably not. It was the combination of living right, doing God’s works, speaking of the Father often, and speaking the truth of sin and salvation that brought the persecution of the world on Him.

Don’t be a closet Christian because that is sinful and selfish. When you are silent you are hiding the truth and blessings that people need – non-believers will never hear the Gospel and believers will never be encouraged and helped by you. It is true that as you live your Christian life ‘out loud’ you are opening yourself up to hatred and persecution from the world … but you are also making a profound and even eternal impact on others. Don’t be a silent Christian. Live your Christian life for all to see and speak up for God. 

Examine yourself:

Name some forms of Christian persecution in the United States.

Are you treated differently by the world because of your faith? Are you persecuted or left out at all because of your faith?

Do non-believers accept you as one of their own and invite you to things a Christian shouldn’t go to?

If the Bible says believers will be persecuted for their faith, why do you think you are not? Why do you think you are accepted? What does that say about your witness for Jesus?

Name some things in your life that would cause non-believers to know about your faith and persecute you for it.

Are you wearing your faith on your sleeve and making it clear to all that you are a believer in Jesus Christ?

Do you speak the truth of God about right and wrong … do you live it?

Are you doing all four of those things or only some of them? If you are not doing all of them, the world won’t recognize you as a true Christian and might even embrace you. That would be an insult to your faith and walk … wouldn’t it?

If you’ve not been rejected by the world (non-believers) in some way, you need to ask yourself why not.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. (Jn 15:19)

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Mt 5:14-16)