14 Days To LiveShembull

Jesus is greater than the hate of the world

Devotional

Hate is a big deal. In some forms and expressions it’s even considered a crime. Jesus tells His followers that loving Him and following Him will bring hatred from the world.

In this passage John shows two types of people: servants of Jesus and people of the world. Two types of people hearing one message of truth. The truth is the standard of the law. Jesus perfected the law for the explicit point of showing us that we can never perfect the law. The law exposes our sin, guilt and depravity. We are shown what we must do in the form of the law. Two types of responses come from the law. (1) The people of the world hate being told what to do. (2) The servants of Jesus are crushed because they know they can’t do it.

The message of the gospel will always get a response. For those that Jesus calls out of the world to be His servants the response to the crushing demands of the law will be a joyful and humble acceptance of grace. For those in the world the message of grace still demands a response, and the response of the world is denial. The world bitterly denies grace because they hate it more than the law. The law states what we must do. Grace tells us that there is nothing we can do. Jesus has perfected the law and paid our debt that demands death.

By the power of His promised Holy Spirit may we ever be the people that serve Jesus and walk in the gift of His amazing grace.

Pray

Thank you Jesus for making Yourself known to me. Please make my heart soft so I am not hardened by the trials of the world. Help me point others to You by the power of Your Holy Spirit.