Sunday, October 30 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.​—John 15:18.

[carlos]

Sunday, October 30

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.—John 15:18.

Sometimes we are hated because we live by God’s righteous standards. These standards contrast sharply with the world’s degraded morals. For example, many people now openly approve of grossly immoral practices similar to the ones for which God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah! (Jude 7) Because we hold to the Bible’s standards regarding such practices, many people ridicule us and call us intolerant. (1 Pet. 4:3, 4) What can help us to endure when people hate us and insult us? We need to have strong faith that Jehovah will help us. Like a shield, our faith can “extinguish all the wicked one’s burning arrows.” (Eph. 6:16) But we need more than faith. We also need love. Why? Because love “does not become provoked.” It bears and endures all hurtful things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7, 13) Love for Jehovah, love for our fellow worshippers, and even love for our enemies will help us to endure hatred. w21.03 20-21 ¶3-4