Day 27: Our Helper

The world does not like Jesus. Faith of any kind is asked to stay in churches and behind the closed doors of homes, rather than shine bright in our everyday lives. It needs to be separate from our government, work, and school. A relationship with Jesus Christ is to be kept in a box, or at least that is how many in our world today would have us believe and live. The world, because of our love and belief in Jesus Christ, hates us.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates.” John 15:18-19

This is one of the biggest reasons why it is so incredibly important to abide in Christ. When I am hated, I go on the defensive. I tend to get nasty. My actions are not loving, let alone respectable to the individual before me. God does not need me to defend Him. I do not need to defend myself. If I need to defend myself, I am basically saying that Christ’s love for me is not enough for me. I need to do more than what he has done for me on the cross.

Yesterday I felt like the world was hitting me on several levels. Nothing was horrible, but it was a constant jerking around of my time and I was frustrated. I said things and thought things out loud that I shouldn’t have to my mom in the heat of anger. I can’t remain in love without the Spirit. One small thing that does not fall in line with what I want still has the power to send me into a tail spin.

I am learning that to remain in Jesus is to keep my mind on him, to pray and fill my mind with what is true. The world hated him before it ever hated me. I am not alone in my frustration, sadness, and dismay from the small to the big because Jesus went through it first. Because he went through it and ultimately all the way to the cross, all of us can remain and endure too.

What is so good of our Father is that he has given us a Helper. We have the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit in us we can not only endure the hatred we are going to face on many levels, but remain in Christ daily. We cannot love or stand in the face of hate on our merit and strength. I can’t. We can’t.

Remaining Assignment #4: Set aside time today to just be with Jesus. Whatever time you can. Read John 15, pray, put on worship music, whatever you want. The length of time does not matter. Just be with Him. 

- Hannah