1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
1Jn 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
If we hate others we cannot LOVE God, it's impossible.
The scriptures are telling us the truth here, telling us that we cannot lay claim to loving God if we hate someone, anyone, any other.
Hate runs rampant through our world.
When I was growing up I was taught by my parents that I shouldn't hate anyone, that hate was the most awful thing you could say to someone, the most awful thing you could feel towards another person. And I also remember using the word and I vividly remember one time when I wrote it in chalk on the ground after I'd been humiliated in front of my friends. I felt such an awful feeling as most people do when they are humiliated. Humiliation has led to many horrors in retaliation of that experience. Being humiliated, embarrassed, teased, bullied- we know that the results of that are destructive for either those being humiliated or those doing the humiliating. It's never fun taking mental, emotional abuse, never and hating those that torture others that way seems like a natural response. Yet, we are NOT to hate others, not for any reason. Jesus spent precious time preaching about how we should treat others.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
Do GOOD to them that hate you.
LOVE your enemies.
BLESS them that curse you.
Pray for them which DESPITEFULLY use you and persecute you.
Being humiliated is being persecuted despitefully, yes?
When I was a child and felt that humiliation I know now that it wasn't an intentional act on the part of my parent to make me feel that way, but as a child I was feeling hatred, and it wasn't a good thing at all. God forgive me that hatred and all the subsequent hatred I've felt towards others at various times throughout my life.
Hatred is the complete opposite of God's love towards us. If we hate others we do NOT know God, we cannot LOVE God- why? Because He cannot hate us, He is love. Some will argue that God has allowed, arranged, or otherwise facilitated the horrors that could only come from hate, but what God hates is sin, all that is not love. When sin fills people they either choose to allow it to thrive within them or they fall on their knees and ask God to forgive them, they repent, they despise the sin inside themselves.
There isn't a SINGLE person who will not be saved that has the love of God in them, NOT ONE.
Everyone who LOVES GOD- truly loves God from time beginning until time ending- will be saved, they will be HIS. Because out of that LOVE for God they will love as He would have them love, with His love. They will love others, they will love His commandments, they will love in His love.
1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
1Jn 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
If we say we love God and we hate others - we DO NOT LOVE GOD! We can pretend all we want, we can fool even ourselves if we allow it, but ANY hatred for others destroys the love we have for God.
Is it any wonder our Savior came and spent three years preaching the love of God? He did it because the LOVE of God truly is the all in all. He LIVED the love of God, teaching US to live as He lived, the love of God through HIM. Hating was NOT something He encouraged. HE never encouraged us to hate others, never and He never ever would.
1Jn 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
If we hate others we cannot LOVE God, it's impossible.
The scriptures are telling us the truth here, telling us that we cannot lay claim to loving God if we hate someone, anyone, any other.
Hate runs rampant through our world.
When I was growing up I was taught by my parents that I shouldn't hate anyone, that hate was the most awful thing you could say to someone, the most awful thing you could feel towards another person. And I also remember using the word and I vividly remember one time when I wrote it in chalk on the ground after I'd been humiliated in front of my friends. I felt such an awful feeling as most people do when they are humiliated. Humiliation has led to many horrors in retaliation of that experience. Being humiliated, embarrassed, teased, bullied- we know that the results of that are destructive for either those being humiliated or those doing the humiliating. It's never fun taking mental, emotional abuse, never and hating those that torture others that way seems like a natural response. Yet, we are NOT to hate others, not for any reason. Jesus spent precious time preaching about how we should treat others.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
Do GOOD to them that hate you.
LOVE your enemies.
BLESS them that curse you.
Pray for them which DESPITEFULLY use you and persecute you.
Being humiliated is being persecuted despitefully, yes?
When I was a child and felt that humiliation I know now that it wasn't an intentional act on the part of my parent to make me feel that way, but as a child I was feeling hatred, and it wasn't a good thing at all. God forgive me that hatred and all the subsequent hatred I've felt towards others at various times throughout my life.
Hatred is the complete opposite of God's love towards us. If we hate others we do NOT know God, we cannot LOVE God- why? Because He cannot hate us, He is love. Some will argue that God has allowed, arranged, or otherwise facilitated the horrors that could only come from hate, but what God hates is sin, all that is not love. When sin fills people they either choose to allow it to thrive within them or they fall on their knees and ask God to forgive them, they repent, they despise the sin inside themselves.
There isn't a SINGLE person who will not be saved that has the love of God in them, NOT ONE.
Everyone who LOVES GOD- truly loves God from time beginning until time ending- will be saved, they will be HIS. Because out of that LOVE for God they will love as He would have them love, with His love. They will love others, they will love His commandments, they will love in His love.
1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
1Jn 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
If we say we love God and we hate others - we DO NOT LOVE GOD! We can pretend all we want, we can fool even ourselves if we allow it, but ANY hatred for others destroys the love we have for God.
Is it any wonder our Savior came and spent three years preaching the love of God? He did it because the LOVE of God truly is the all in all. He LIVED the love of God, teaching US to live as He lived, the love of God through HIM. Hating was NOT something He encouraged. HE never encouraged us to hate others, never and He never ever would.
No comments:
Post a Comment