| “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” |
| —Psalm 90:1 |
Here in the United States, we Christians have come to a startling awareness of late that many other people actually despise us. It’s a startling awareness. But, it’s also a reality that Christians in other parts of the world have lived with for a very long time. We should not be surprised, nor should we become “cry babies” about this. We are, however, allowed to feel sad about it.
The people who despise us do so because they reject our beliefs. We who follow the Lord Jesus Christ believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the authors to write the Bible, that the Spirit has preserved God’s written Word, and that the words in Scripture mean what they say. The individuals who hate us include some other so-called “Christians,” who do not necessarily believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, or accept the interpretation of Scripture to which we hold.
In our current culture, it is not only “not cool” to take the Bible literally, it is a reason to despise and reject those who take do believe the words of the Bible are literally true. It is especially painful to realize that people we love and care about reject us because we believe the Bible means what it says.
The Psalmist knew what it was to feel such rejection. He also knew what it was to seek comfort from the One who would never reject him. Notice the words of praise that he writes in Psalm 90:1-2, 4:
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
We “Christ’s-ones” are already a minority. Yet, God asks us to remain faithful—faithful in our sincerely held beliefs, but also faithful as instruments in this world of God’s mercy, grace, and unfailing love.
God calls us to respond with love toward everyone who despises, hates, and rejects us. With the hard-realized humility that comes from knowing that we are truly and only despicable sinners saved by God’s grace through Christ, we need to wrap our firmly held beliefs in a blanket of God-breathed love. In these troubled days, this is a challenge to which I pray we will rise.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, July 15, 2016
