The world hates you, true Christians.
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” – II Timothy 3:12 NKJV
We are not friends of the world, true Christians. We are the blessed who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” – I John 2:15-17 NKJV
That unholy trinity of selfish desires that are the master of the lost man’s heart. The lost man longs for the guilty pleasures that bring comfort to his flesh while attempting to forget the burden he now carries in his soul. The lost man longs for those things that are not his, that he has neither earned nor received, and is not content with his many blessings but is only content with prideful murmuring over what he “should have”. Yes, this is the lost man.
And when the lost man sees someone seeking to walk in integrity and yield their lives over to the will of God – the conviction over so many things that are dark and hidden in their own hearts are brought to light in their own consciousness. For those who are seeking righteousness, for the true Christ follower, having their rebellion brought to light is a blessing — because if we humble ourselves before the Lord and confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive. But for those content in their rebellion, they do not like having light shinged on the sin that binds them – they would rather justify to themselves and others why it is okay for it to remain in their lives. The enemy has fed them the same lie as he fed to Eve, “surely it will not kill you”.
There are even false Christians and false teachers who do not know God, who do not hunger and thirst for righteousness, who still serve that old master, and who male excuses for why it is okay for others to remain powerless against the enemy, and powerless in serving the Lord daily. This is because they are liars like their father the devil.
I am not attacking anyone with these words. I am not a vicious wolf tearing at your throat. I am not a servant beating the flock. No, I am just a messenger crying out into the darkness, I am just a lighthouse in the middle of the storm. I am the one humbling myself in prayer that your eyes and ears and heart might be open to the truth.
Do you desire a Godly life?
Are you eagerly awaiting His return?
Is sin made uncomfortable and powerless in the presence of the light of Christ that reigns supreme in your heart so that it must tuck is tail between its legs and flee from your presence because you trust in the authority of Christ who lives in you?
Or is sin a welcome poison at your daily feasts and celebrations?
The persecution is not me bringing to light what you have tried to keep hidden in your heart, sinners. No, that is conviction, that is the good work of the Holy Spirit to lead you to repentance.
Yes, repentance. A turning away from sin.
You’d rather hear more about grace and skip over all of that talk about repentance, righteousness, and sanctification?
Yes, the lawless who claim Him by name but deny Him in their hearts and lives are quite comfortable with a twisted, powerless, fruitless perversion of grace that leaves them bound to the wages of death because of their disbelief and their disobedience.
But we are not those are we?
When we examine our hearts honestly what kind of life do we desire to live – worldly or godly?
Harold J. Ballinger 