OUR EMOTIONS REVEAL OUR HEARTS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.”
(Proverbs 10:12)

MEDITATION:
We often hear sports fans say they hate another team; and, the
same fans say they love their own team. Hate and love are two
opposing words and we need to be careful how we use them.

To say we love a team is to dilute the true meaning of love. Love
is an emotion and a feeling for God, or another person; it is not
a word to be carelessly directed toward an object or group of
people (including some we do not personally know).

We can say that we love the Lord because we know Him personally
and we have a desire to please Him above everything and everyone
else. We can say we love another person because we know them
personally.

The word hate is a strong word that indicates we are unable to stand
something, or someone. It means that we abhor something or someone
so much that we shrink away from it, or them. Whatever we hate makes
us recoil with a strong desire to leave its presence.

We have such an intense dislike for it that we are desperate to get away
from it. This is the reason it is good to hate sin – it means we want to get
away from it.
    Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for
    he guards the lives of his faithful ones and
    delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
    (Psalm 97:10)

When a fan understands the full meaning of hate, he or she doesn’t
really hate another team, do they? They may dislike losing and the
fact that the other team might beat theirs, but they aren’t in a rush
to get away from the other team. Why? Because without another
team to compete against, there would be no game to watch.

The scriptures tell us that whenever we introduce hate into any
relationship, we create an environment of friction and strife. We
are told that love and hate cannot coexist in the life of a believer:
    Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother
    or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their
    brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot
    love God, whom they have not seen.
    (1 John 4:20)

    Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother
    or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their
    brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing
    in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a
    brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in
    the darkness. They do not know where they are going,
    because the darkness has blinded them.
    (1 John 2:9-11)

    Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and
    you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
    (1 John 3:15)

Hatred of others shows an absence of love. We can hate acts
of sin, but we should never hate others – after all they are
God’s creations the same as we are. Hate is a strong emotion
that should be directed toward only one thing – sin.
    Love must be sincere. Hate what
    is evil; cling to what is good.
    (Romans 36:2)

Hating what is evil is an indication that the love of Christ lives
in our hearts. It shows that we have a desire to cling to what is
good and what pleases God. Another indicator of our disdain
for sin is having a love that is sincere. Whenever we tell others,
or the Lord, we love them, they should trust that our love is real.
    Love must be sincere. Hate
    what is evil; cling to what is good.
    (Romans 12:9)

There are many factors that prevent us from hating
sin as we should. Pride is one of the things that keeps
us from hating sin (it may be at the top of the list).
    In their own eyes they flatter themselves
    too much to detect or hate their sin.
    (Psalm 36:2)

The scriptures indicate that an overabundance of pride
prevents us from seeing sin as sin. We can be desensitized
to sin and become more tolerant of sinful acts. Prideful
people have difficulty showing love because their focus
is on themselves. They fail to even notice whenever they
are being rude or inconsiderate of others.

When we are told that ‘love covers all wrongs’, it probably
means that when the love of God exists within us, we can
forgive others for their wrongful actions.

In summary, we have the capability of expressing two strong
emotions – love and hate. Those who are closely aligned with
the Lord will choose ‘love’, because we recognize Him as the
Prince of Peace, and we have received His love in our hearts.

When we choose ‘hate’, we can expect an increased and constant
tension with others. If our heart contains hate, we are susceptible
to name calling, gossip, hurting the feelings of others, etc. We can
also be guilty of influencing others to hate the same people we hate.
A heart full of hate creates a tongue full of venom.

ACTION:
Do you lean more toward showing love or hate of other
people? It is not a question that can be answered with,
    “It depends on the situation”.

God tells us to love others, and if we don’t, then we cannot
love Him (that’s what He said in 1 John, right?). It is what
is in your heart that overflows and shows in your emotions.
Are you sensitive to how you use the words ‘love’ and ‘hate’?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You showed me how to love when You
sent Your Son to die for my sins. Jesus also showed me how
to love as He walked the earth in human form, and then later
as He became a sacrifice for my sin. Forgive me for any hate
that remains in my heart. Increase my love so there is no room
left for hate. Teach me to love others as You love me. Change
my heart and mind to focus on what I can love in others, instead
of seeking out their faults. Thank You for Your love for me and
for convicting me that I need to hate sin as You do.”

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