The “World”—Things Haven’t Changed - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

He was in the world, and the world had its being through Him, and the world knew Him not.
John 1:10

The "World"—Things Haven't Changed
Not Mars or Jupiter or Saturn became the sphere of God's reconciliation, but Planet Earth. It is into our world that God sent His only-begotten Son to be our Savior. While creation shows the power of God, the incarnation, life, and atoning death of the Lord Jesus display His love. Why didn't God totally destroy the world of mankind as soon as Adam sinned? Or why did He not destroy it during the subsequent ages in which His glory and righteousness were outraged by man's wickedness? Why did God choose rather to display His love and provide reconciliation? As we ponder these questions, we can only bow in worship and adoration before Him. The Bible expresses it in three words: "God is love."

How amazing that the world of mankind should ignore the One who came to meet its desperate need! True, people did not ignore the Lord Jesus when He healed them or miraculously fed them. They eagerly received His help, but often without any real thought of who He was, or of His rightful claims upon their lives. And in His own hour of deepest need the fickle multitudes cried out, "Away with Him! Let Him be crucified!"

Things haven't changed. Then as now, "The world did not know Him." And we who do know Him must realize that we will share His rejection in the measure that we are faithful to Him and bear witness to the truth. At the same time, we must recognize that the world of mankind is not the sphere of Satan's domain to be shunned, but the sphere of God's reconciliation in which we are called to be witnesses. Though men may hate and reject us because they hate our Lord and Master, yet we must reach out to them in a loving and winsome way.

Grant W. Steidl