Love Helps Us to Endure Hatred

 "These things I command you, that you love one another.  If the world hates you, you will know that it hated me before it hated you." - JOHN 15:17, 18. 

JEHOVAH created us to love and to be loved.  So when someone hates us, we feel hurt and perhaps even afraid.  For examle, Georgina, who lives in Europe, says:  "When I was 14, my mother hated me for serving Jehovah.  I felt rejected and began doubting that I was a good person." A brother named Danylo writes: "When soldiers hit me, insultled me, and threatened me because I was one of  Jehovah's Witnesses, I felt frightened and humiliated."  Such hatred hurts, but it does not suprise us.  Jesus foretold that we would be hated. - Read MATTHEW 24:9. 

The world hates Jesus' followers.  Why? Because   like Jesus, we no part of the world," (John 15:17-19)   As a result, while we respect human governments, we refuse to worship them or the emblems that represent them.  We give Jehovah our exclusive devotion.  We uphold God right to rule mankind-a right that Satan and his "offspring" vigorously challenge.  (Genesis 3:1-5, 15)  We preach that God's Kingdom is mankind's only hope and that the Kingdom will soon cruse all of those who oppose it.  (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 19:19-21)  That message is good news to the meek but bad news to the wicked. - PSALM 37:10, 11.

We are also hated because we live by God's righteous standards. These standards contrast sharply with the world's degraded morals.  For example, many people now openly approve of grossly immoral practices similar to ones for which God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah!  (Jude 7)  Because we hold on to the Bible's standards regarding such practices, many people ridicule us and call us intolerant. - 1 PETER 4:3, 4.

What can helpe us to endure when people hate us and insult us?  We need to have strong faith that Jehovah will help us.  Like a shield, our faith can "extinguish all the wicked one's burning arrows." (Ephesians  6:16)   But we need more than faith. We also need love.  Why? Because love "does not become provoked." It bears and endures all hurtful things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 13)  Let us now see how love for Jehovah, love for our fellow worshippers, and even love for our enemies help us to endure hatred.

Next time: Love Helps Us to Encdure Hatred - LOVE FOR JEHOVAH HELPS US TO ENDURE HATRED

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