How far are you willing to go? How far will you go to protect those you love? How far will you go to achieve your goal? How far will you go to get what you want? Are you willing to forfeit it all? Are you willing to stand out in a crowd? Are you willing to be hated by others?
Strange questions, huh? So let’s walk through them. If we are willing to do whatever it takes to protect our loved ones, achieve a goal, or to get what we want, we must be willing to be hated. Anyone in the spotlight, anyone who stands out in a crowd is hated by someone.
Jesus says we are blessed when people hate us because we believe in and follow Him. It cannot be mere belief. For we read in James 2:19 that even demons believe and shudder. No, it must be belief and trust and following His commands. When we do all three, there will be people who will hate us. They will know that we see their reluctance to follow and the evil they commit.
The quandary, the crux of the issue for us is this: are we willing to be hated? Most of us try to get along with others. We like to fit in. We want to be part of the crowd. We will change our allegiance to be with those we deem to be the right people, whether it is a sports team or even a nation. Our desire to be accepted often overwhelms our willingness to do what we know is right.
Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart. It not only requires us to give Him our heart and soul, it requires us to be willing to be hated, to be ridiculed, and to be made fun of by others. I may mean we lose friends. But Jesus tells us to rejoice and jump for joy. Why? Our reward in heaven is greater than all that we think we will miss here on this earth.
I pray we all decide to follow Jesus. I pray we are willing to be hated by non-followers. I pray each one of us rejoice and jump for joy knowing we will receive a great reward in heaven. Believe in Jesus. Trust Jesus. Follow Jesus. Rejoice. Jump for joy. Your reward is great.
Luke 6:22-23 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.”
Marty Pressey 