Reading Luke 12:1-3 we are told, “Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!” We may think we can say anything about people and keep it secret, but we have another think coming. Though it may be safe for a little while, eventually it will get out. The bible tells us in James 4:11, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.” What binds us so much that we resort to this type of behavior? Why are we so set on deception, gossip, and creating problems for others?
As I have traveled the world, I have seen it everywhere. Instead of showing love, some people choose to stir up conflict, spread untruths, and twist conversations in their favor. They are not happy, and they don’t like to see others happy either. They use divisiveness to try and make everybody else miserable, because they are miserable. But those mature in Christ should follow the words of our Savior. In Luke 12:29-31 we read, “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.” Don’t be concerned about what people say and think either. God has our back, and He has already saw us through this. But we must be able to see and seek Him in our misery, and see and seek Him above all else. Jesus experienced this type of behavior also as we see in Mark 6:2-4, “The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” They were still blind and chose to be that way, but what a shame.
Even when someone hates us enough to kill, Jesus tells us in Luke 12 they cannot do any more to us after that. He says to fear God, who has the power to kill us and then throw us into hell. We should be more concerned about our salvation than anything that can happen to us in this world. Our time here is temporary, but our life ahead can be eternal; if we live for it. Life is not over, it’s just over here. Yes, we will face evil, supernatural forces, and trials of all kinds. But if the Lord is on our side, we will have victory. We will rise to be with our Savior when He returns. The whole world is hurting, but children of the King are not of the world. John 17:14-16 reads, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”
I recently read three quotes by American writer Madeline Engle that are applicable here. The first, “Hate hurts the hater more’n the hated.” We won’t need to worry about haters. Guilt from their own hate will bind them up. Next was, “We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are.” We need to be More for Him, and more like Him, the Light in the darkness, a shelter in the storm. And finally, “I will have nothing to do with a God who cares only occasionally. I need a God who is with us always, everywhere, in the deepest depths as well as the highest heights. It is when things go wrong, when good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly.” Thinking like this can get us through a lot of dark places. Seek Christ above all else and the darkness of this world will turn brighter. The whole world is hurting but instead of stumbling around blindly, remember God is always there to protect His chosen ones. Safety in the Lord will make us feel so much better. We have been given His word, for we are not of the world.
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