1 John 3:14-15
The way we know we’ve been
transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters.
Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother
or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and
murder don’t go together.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
“I hate when that happens”
used to be a phrase that I used frequently...and I still do say this
occasionally. But now, I stop short whenever this comes out of my
mouth, because I have come to understand in recent months just how
powerful the word “hate” really is...regardless of the context. There
truly is no room for “hate” in the Christian vocabulary...much less in
the heart of a genuine believer. If we honestly want to be like Jesus,
we must start paying closer attention to how He conducted Himself...and
emulating His character in our own daily living. Jesus didn’t have a
hateful bone in His body...toward anyone or anything.
I’m a work
in progress...and you probably are, too. And I’ll admit that there are
individuals and situations toward which I am genuinely striving to
change my attitude. But I don’t hate - these people or circumstances.
Even the ravages of the wars in the Middle East, the indignities that
are imposed on people around the globe, and the human suffering that
plagues every corner of the world cannot bring me to such a serious
extreme. I am saddened...I have empathy for those involved and disgust
for the actions of the perpetrators. But I know in my heart that Jesus
does not hate these people...and I’m not supposed to, either.
The
actions of many grieve Jesus...they cause Him great sadness and
disappointment. But so do many of my actions and words. And to Jesus,
there is no difference in my sin and that of another. All of these
break His heart...and His grace, mercy and forgiveness are available to anyone who will call on Him.
So
I am trying very hard not to use the word “hate”...or to feel such an
extreme animosity and/or disdain toward another person. I am trying to
look at them as sinners just like me...and react toward them as Jesus
would – with love and compassion, even as I disapprove of their words or
actions. Before you polish my halo, understand that I fail miserably
at this much of the time! But I keep trying...because that’s what God
calls us to do as Disciples of Christ.
It’s very hard to love all
people at all times. We humans do some pretty despicable, nasty
things...and we are often quite unlovable. But that’s what makes Jesus
so amazing. He loves us anyway...in spite of our maliciousness and
offenses. And if we want to be like Him, we have to be like Him. How well are you doing these days?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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