July 2024 – Loving People in an Angry World
2 Timothy 3:3 gives us three characteristics to last day people; 1) It says that men will be incontinent, which means powerless and having no self-control. 2) fierce, which literally means a savage. 3) It says that they will be despisers of those that are good. The scripture says they betrayed Jesus and demanded His crucifixion because they despised Him. Isaiah 53:3 says “He is despised and rejected of men”.
These are all difficult statements that the Word of God gives us concerning humanity, but we understand that in the last days this spirit and mentality increases in intensity. How do we love people with all of this anger, wrath, lack of self control and savagery? It’s not easy! It takes a very committed and mature child of God in order to continue to love people through everything. Many people walk away because they feel they can no longer love others because of the pain that they themselves have experienced, but I want you to know today that Jesus proved we can love people in a hateful world. I believe it takes the mind of God, and it takes constant prayer and understanding that we are walking into a hostile situation concerning people’s lives. The animosity that they betray isn’t really directed at you or I, but it is a reflection of the brokenness within them.
Ask God today to help you to love people in this hateful world. Ask Him to show you how He loved while they were crucifying Him, because the only way we are going to win this generation is when we will love them despite of how hateful they might be. We CAN love them in a hateful world, we just need the Lord’s help.
Pastor Ardary