18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' 26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Quite a bit in these verses is pretty confusing to me but what stands out for me is that God chose me out of the world! I am so thankful for that, but then people make comments about Christians in general or me specifically and I have to remember how persecuted Christ was. I want to remember that it's not me personally they are attacking but Christ but that also makes me angry. Just like if someone says something bad about my children I can get pretty in your face, momma bear style. I don't like it when people disrespect God, just wish I could say things to defuse the situation and witness to who God is by my behaviour.
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