All in Overcoming
Are we looked down on, or ridiculed for the devout manner in which we pursue our faith? Do we live in an area of the world where those of another faith seek to harm us, or destroy our homes and places of worship? Well, receiving death threats, and being persecuted for our faith, is nothing new. As we face such hardships we must strengthen ourselves by remembering how Jesus endured greater suffering than this for us.
What does it mean for us to have overcome the world? Does it mean that we have succeeded in gathering to ourselves all of its riches? Does it mean that we command its inhabitants to serve us? Does it mean that our will is imposed upon it? Or, does it mean that our faith allows us to conquer every negative influence that the world attempts to infect us with, and that in our spiritual health we will not be drawn away from loving God, Jesus, the Spirit, and one another?