Loved in a World That Hates Itself

Until God moves, we can do nothing but give thanks for the good that is coming our way; this is how we are still loved in a world that hates itself - by faith to believe and not doubt.

As an outspoken Christian leader, while loving all judging none, I'm either tolerated, ignored, avoided, or hated - BUT THEN Jesus reminds me in John 15:18 "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first."

The significance of knowing the Christian is loved in a world that hates itself, especially on the brink of destroying itself, the key word here is 'LOVED.'

In our weaknesses and errors in life, born-again Christians, such as our gravely deceived Mayor, defending the gravest lie against mankind, and even though he has turned his back on both church and God, as queer as this will sound, God still loves him because of His mercy (not punishing him as deserved), and grace (giving him what he doesn't deserve).

This is a mere hint of AGAPE LOVE! And the closest we will ever get this side of heaven to experience such love, is at the heart and moment of ecstasy with our wife/husband - another FREE gift from God, long ago planned for His creation of male & female; not Adam & Steve.

Noah Webster (1828) defines ecstasy as follows:

EC'STASY

1. Primarily, a fixed state; a trance; a state in which the mind is arrested and fixed, or as we say, lost; a state in which the functions of the senses are suspended by the contemplation of some extraordinary or supernatural object. Whether what we call ecstasy be not dreaming with our eyes open, I leave to be examined.

2. Excessive joy; rapture; a degree of delight that arrests the whole mind; as a pleasing ecstasy; the ecstasy of love; joy may rise to ecstasy

3. Enthusiasm; excessive elevation and absorption of mind; extreme delight.

In my too many to count weaknesses, I humbly confess my thoughts of wanting to redefine the expression 'laying on of hands,' and placing them around the neck of demonic leadership, but interrupted by Romans 12:21 that teaches "Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."

Obeying or disobeying God's living word is another thing because of sinful weakness. James 1:22 teaches, "But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." So where does this leave me, and yourself perhaps?

Paul shares of this in Romans 6:1-4:

Sin’s Power Is Broken

1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

So, in closing, to be loved in a world that hates itself, we must first, know and embrace Jesus, WHO IS LOVE, as Lord & Savior (Romans 10:9) ... and then we can know we are loved at all times, never forgotten, under angelic protection, and with eternal security. Contrarily, apart from the love of Jesus, the default love of a world that hates itself is fake at best, not real.