Title
Love Surpasses Hatred
Scripture
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.
(Proverbs 10:12)
Devotional
Hatred not only stirs up strife, it destroys life. It has the capability to destroy the one doing the hating as well as the one hated. Hatred saps abilities, talents, energies, and life. It is one thing to hate evil, it is quite another to hate people. We are to hate evil. It must be repulsive to us. Nevertheless, people are created in the image of God; we are not to hate God’s creation.
Love, on the other hand, builds lives. It makes people better. It has the ability to edify the one expressing the love as well as the one being loved. Love corrects, while hatred finds fault. Love listens while hatred only wants to be heard. Love desires repentance; hatred desires damnation. Love is obviously much better. The apostle Peter repeats the Proverb this way; “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.”(1)
(1) 1 Peter 4:8