Proverbs 10:12
We really need to take this to heart . . .
You know, most of us are probably somewhat familiar with this verse. We know the truth it contains, but too often we choose to ignore that truth. It never gets applied in our lives.
Hopefully, this post will change that. By the time you’re through reading, I hope you’ll be encouraged to start applying it in your life.
Ready? Good.
Hatred stirs up strife . . .
Hatred and strife seem to be almost synonymous. It is practically impossible to have one without the other. Strife is always fed by hatred. And hatred, if let to build up, will almost inevitably lead to strife.
But we don’t seem to care, do we?
We let the anger, the hurt, the fear build up. We let it turn into hatred. And then we let that hatred fester in our souls. Pretty soon we end up snapping at everybody in our path, lashing out, and maybe even physically hurting somebody.
But as Christians, we need to acknowledge that our hate towards people should not and can not be allowed to build up.
Why?
First of all, God wants us to show His love to others. That is not going to happen if we hate them.
Second of all, when we show hatred and stir up strife, it brings dishonor upon the Gospel and upon God. People don’t see any reason to come to Christ if His emissaries are showing hate to people.
. . . . but love covers all offenses.
First of all, let me clarify this: LOVE DOES NOT EQUAL TOLERANCE!
Lots of people today want to sacrifice the truth of the Gospel in order to show love to people through tolerance. Christians CANNOT tolerate sin, ok? It’s not alright for me to have my truth and you to have your truth, because truth is truth. There is one truth. That’s it! Uno!
At the same time, we still can show love to people without sacrificing truth.
We can speak kindly to people we disagree with. We can pray for those who persecute us. We can share the Gospel with everyone who crosses our paths.
You see, love covers offences by forgiving. Jesus loved us so much that He died on a cross in order to blot out our sins! His love put into action literally covered our offences!
Our love unfortunately does not have that power. However, we can show forgiveness to others. We can show mercy and kindness to others. We can pray for others. And most of all, we can share the love of Jesus with others by telling them about the Gospel!
When we choose to love someone, we can’t hate them at the same time. Whatever wrongs they may have done, we do not have the right to hold it against them as giving us a right to hate them. Why? Because Christ did not hold our sins against us.
If you have a problem with what a person does, kindly reach out to them about it. Don’t leave the problem undealt with. Forgive the person, pray for the person, and do all that you can to show them the love of Jesus!
In Conclusion . . .
Hate = Strife
Love = Forgiveness and Prayer
Christ’s Love = Redemption
Spread the love of Christ through forgiveness and prayer. Let others know that there is One who loves powerfully — who loved us enough to take away all our sins so that we could spend eternity with Him!
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
So often I find myself irritated with others. Maybe they have done something to hurt me, maybe not. However, I do not want these times of irritation to turn into hatred. Please guard my heart against hatred. Don’t let it fester in my soul. Instead, let Your love well up inside of me. Let it overflow into the lives of those around me. Give me the courage and strength to pray for and forgive those who hurt me, and help me to be an emissary of Your love to those who need to hear of it.
It is for Your honor and glory I pray,
Amen
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