Title

Do Not Hate

Scripture
Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
(Proverbs 10:18)
Devotional
We are not to hide our hatred; we are to rid ourselves of it. Hatred is a sin. We are not entitled to it. We can and should hate sin, but we are not to hate the sinner. Hatred is a work of the flesh, not the Spirit (see Galatians 5:19). Furthermore, it does more damage to the one doing the hating than to the one who is hated. An evidence of hatred is that we will attempt to slander the one we hate, and that we will inevitably do so through lying lips. We can and should hate those things that God hates. And He hates sin. How do we not hate the ones we are commanded to love? The answer is "Purposefully." We must determine in our minds and hearts not to hate those that God has chosen to love. This is not the pseudo-tolerance of our day. Accepting wrong is not acceptable. Accepting people where they are and doing our best to have them conformed to the express image of Christ is. To accept wrong as right is unacceptable in the sight of God. God could have hated you, but He instead chose to love you.