14 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them. For they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

18 As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.

19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.

— John 17:14-19

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

— Matthew 28:18-20

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

God’s people live in a world dedicated to many other things other than God. Even believers who love God, cherish His Word, and seek to live for Him face constant temptations to conform to this world’s standards. God positions His people to stand for Him, even while living in “Babylon,” so to speak. The evil that captivates societies, governments, entertainment, and people we know distresses us. The general course of humanity is clearly moving away from God and His standards. How does God intend for us to live? Devotion to God invites criticism and even hardship. We might be tempted to flee from Babylon and isolate ourselves in supposed safety.

However, God strategically positions His people in the world to reveal Jesus and spread the gospel. He places us in community with other believers to represent His kingdom to a needy world. We cannot forget our divine commission as we live in a world that mostly rejected God. We need to learn how to balance, with the wisdom supplied by Christ and the leading by the Holy Spirit, our caution about this world’s evil and the commission God has given us as His children — to reach out to the world with gospel.