Marvel not . . .

A while back, a friend on Facebook posted this verse:

"Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." - (1 John 3:13 KJV)

That is a true thing. If an unbelieving world hates the Christian, we should get over it. The big thing is not to confuse their dislike for our willingness to live the way Jesus Christ wants us to live to the air of superiority that many believers seem to have when dealing with the world. If the world hates us, it should be for the One who we follow completely and not for our rude behavior.

The other question that I always have to pose how are we to behave if it is not the world who hates us, but the religious ones who practice an attitude of judgment over other Christians. I guess if you were to add a phrase in 1 John 3:13 after the word you and before the period it would be this "... yet don't be surprised if the one who hates you goes to church." (Not tampering with Scripture here, just thinking out loud.)

I expect the world to hate me, I don't expect the church to. The world will hate me because I choose to follow the One who provides the only access to God (John 14:6). The church (religious) will hate me because of how long my hair is, what music I listen to, what books I read, and a long list of insert you favorite item here:____________.