Why Choose To Hate?

So God created human beings in His own image

In the image of God He created them

male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:27

Question: Given that we have been made in the image of God, why do we insist on hating someone else?  What is it about others that generates so much hatred and anger?  I have heard a number of answers (because they are crooks, because their ancestors may or may not have harmed my ancestors, because of their job, because they won't let me do whatever I want whenever I want even if it's illegal, etc.), yet the real underlying cause for pretty much all of us....because they are different from us.  That's the bottom line!  We hate because of our differences while ignoring our commonalities!

The Apostle Paul jumped right into this scrape by reminding the Galatians, "There is NO LONGER Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.  FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS!"(Galatians 3:28).  That pretty much takes the wind out of our hatred sails, doesn't it?  We are more alike than we are different!

As a matter of fact, just how alike are we?  Take a look at Isaiah 53:6 - "We ALL like sheep have gone astray; WE ALL have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Christ] the iniquity of US ALL."  You see, the thing we have in common is far greater than the differences in our complexion or hair color or ancestry or any other physical attribute!  Our commonality is that we are ALL equally guilty of sin!  As such, we are ALL equally going to die.  And guess what?  The grave holds saint and sinner alike until Jesus' return!

Imagine a world where we focused on such things as loving others as we love ourselves and treating others like we want to be treated.  Sound impossible?  It starts with one person....YOU! 

Today's Gift Just For You

This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 

 

How many of us have ever heard the alarm go off, only to realize it's Monday, and we seriously consider dismantling the alarm clock?  Have you ever felt like you just wanted to crawl back in bed instead of getting up to face the day?  When did our perception of the day change from one of celebration to one of dread?

 

When I was a tyke (stop laughing), I liked getting up in the morning because I didn't know what the day held in store but was anxious to find out.  Such is the mind of an innocent, unjaded, inquisitive mind.  Somewhere along the line of life, the thought of having to get up and do something has become a curse.

 

Consider this: God made today just for you!  You have a part in this day!  You are important to the way today will play out.  God loves you so much that He made this day especially for you!  That's a gift worth being glad and even being happy in.  Today....is YOURS!

It Ain't Easy......Is It?

Hatred stirs up quarrels,
    but love makes up for all offenses.

Proverbs 10:12 

It's all around us every single day.  If you read, hear or watch the news, it's pounded into us with the force of a pile driver into our very way of thinking.  "It you disagree with someone, HATE them until THEY change!"  We are a society of lots of HATE groups each seeking their own interests while degrading the interests of others.  We have groups that HATE us so much that they believe theirs is the ONLY way to live. As a matter of fact, we seem to love to hate each other, yet we disguise it all as "love."

I have friends from a wide variety of different perspectives, yet even though we may disagree on many topics, love still holds us together.  You see, HATE is not the opposite of LOVE and LOVE is not the opposite of HATE.  Why?  Because they are both extremely powerful emotions!  The opposite of LOVE and HATE is this thing called APATHY (don't care).  As a matter of fact, the worst thing you can tell another human being is "I don't care."  Why?  Because you have just devalued them to the point of irrelevance. 

One of the first lessons I learned early in ministry is that not everyone is going to like me.  Some will even hate me, and try to run me off.  But God's love is stronger than any love and stronger than any hatred and even stronger than any apathy.  Darkness cannot hide even the smallest light, so too will love not be covered by hatred.

Remember what Jesus said when He was asked which commandment was the greatest? "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.'"  Watching the actions of some of these special interest groups....they don't like anyone (including themselves).

Why Is It 'Haters Gonna Hate'?

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

We hear some form of it almost every single day: "If you don't agree with my choices then you are a ______ (racist, bigot, hater, idiot, insert your favorite insult)". We claim that everyone who disagrees with our stance on an issue, decision of  life, or anything else that makes us unique, hates us and we want everyone else to hate them too.  

Yes, people are going to hate things that are different, because different makes people uncomfortable.  Think about this, I don't have to like a person's choice or decision!  That's right.....you read correctly....I don't have to like their choice or decision or lifestyle or hairstyle or food choices or anything else they choose!  Chances are, people don't like some of my choices or decisions either.  

Believe it or not, I know they don't in the way they treat me (ignore me, suddenly stop talking with I walk by) as if I am somehow going to judge them and blast them with hellfire and brimstone. No, I am not one who chooses to Crossfit.  Yes, I do have a sense of humor (and it seems to surprise quite a few people). I am a human being, just like you, and ALL humans (yes, even me) are social beings who enjoy being part of the society in its various forms, sizes, and formations.

But I am commanded by Scripture to love others as I want to be loved.   Scripture also commands me to live in peace with all, as far as it is within my power.  Now this does not mean I will surrender my beliefs or my choices, if means we may agree to disagree.  But it is not MY place to judge any person! And it's not YOUR place to judge any person either!  Even if you don't like their choices, actions, styles, or even if they just rub on you like sandpaper underwear!

What If I Don't Like You?

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

~Mark 12:30-31

Last week we talked a little about how true love is a conscious decision and we are choose to love often in spite of each other.  Well, guess what?  Jesus teaches us what love looks like!

Jesus and I have something in common...neither of us are overly fond of "church folk."  You know the ones.  They go to lots of conferences, memorize Scripture by the book, pray in Ye Olde English because they don't think God understands the voice of our hearts, and they are very quick to tell you how you are doing life wrong (without ever looking in the mirror).  "Church Folks" almost drove me away from the church completely, until God showed me something from today's passage: When I love God with everything that I am, I understand how much He loves me, so how can I not love other people?

Now let me be VERY clear...loving others does NOT mean accepting or agreeing with their choices.  For example, I disagree with the militant vegans who will have nothing to do with anything that is not a plant, but I still love them because they are also God's children.  People disagree with the fact that I am rather unorthodox in the sharing of my faith, but they still love me anyway (I am led to believe). After all, Tootsie Rolls and other candies open doors to conversations that a Bible upside the head won't (go figure).  I am not a fan of the "christians"  who insist on yelling and screaming that I am going to Hell if I don't agree with them, but they are God's children too and deserve my love (and prayers and compassion and help if needed).

You see, Jesus didn't hide behind a pulpit, He went where the people were who needed Him.  He didn't condemn people, He loved them (even the "church folk" if you remember Nicodemus).  Jesus CHOSE to love others as much as, and even more than, Himself.  He shared wine and meals with people who the church didn't want.  He went to weddings and celebrations where the "pious" would not be caught dead attending.  He touched lepers, let a prostitute was His feet with her own tears (that's a LOT of tears).  He made friends with the rejected.  He told an adulteress that He did not condemn her as a person, but He did tell her to stop with the adultery. He that loved people!

Yet we look at someone and see what we DON'T like about them.  WE choose to be divisive! WE throw up fences!  WE stab people in the back instead of building them up! WE discourage others instead of encouraging!  WE CHOOSE TO BE JUST LIKE 'CHURCH FOLK'!  And we can CHOOSE to think differently.

Let me put it another way....I have an eclectic taste in music but I am not a fan of Country Music (sorry to all the country music fans).  BUT that doesn't mean I will not spend time with, ride with, or enjoy the company of those who like country music.  And I hope they will still love me when I listen to my classical or rock or Harry Belafonte or any of the other non-country genres on my MP3 player.

We must learn to love and care for other people as much as we care for ourselves!  One way to do that is to pray for the people we don't like!  

Buddhist student: "Master, I am discouraged."

Buddhist Master: "Then Encourage!"

You see?  Pray FOR those we don't like and we will begin to see them as God's Children too because God will remind us that people who don't like us are praying for us as well.  Make a difference and make a friend, love others as yourself by loving God above all!

Protect Your Mind!

And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 

~Romans 16:17-18

Did you know that there are people who are divisive?  We see it every single day.  The divisive people are usually those who are too cowardly to step into the light of view and debate.  They choose to cast stones from the shadows without regard to who will be hurt by their words. Divisive people stir up trouble and seem to enjoy the chaos, again because they do so from the shadows.  

The Apostle Paul reminds us to be wary of those who seek to be divisive!  Yet over and over we see such people who will mindlessly follow simply because the rhetoric is the latest popular thing, or because they just want to be "part of change," or some other excuse that deflects the responsibility to THINK away from themselves.  Remember the excuse: "Well, every one else is doing it!"  Does that make it right. 

Jesus reminds us "And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak" (Matthew 12:36). Therefore, we must be careful what we say and what we think.  Because for most of us, what's in our mind is going to come out of our mouth (and God WILL hold us accountable).

Solomon wrote in his Proverbs: "Guard your heart [and mind] above all else, for it determines the course of your life" (Proverbs 4:23).  So how do we put a guard on our hearts and minds?  How do we keep from becoming a casualty of the divisive person's bombs?  Allow me to give you some very practical counsel:

     *  If a statement is 99.99999% true and 0.00001% false, it is a LIE!  Don't let the lies into your mind!  If that means you have to stop reading their words or stop listening their words or even remove yourself from them, DO IT!  Better to walk away than become a casualty!

     *  Remember that YOU control what you let into your heart and mind! Be selective!  Be careful!

     *  People will say whatever they want about you for whatever reason they want and there's little you can do to stop them.  BUT....YOU control how you choose to react to them.

  

Perhaps the best counsel I have found comes from Paul's letter to the Philippian church (Chapter 4 Verse 8):

 Finally, brothers and sisters, 

whatever is true, 

whatever is worthy of respect, 

whatever is just, 

whatever is pure,

 whatever is lovely, 

whatever is commendable, 

if something is excellent or praiseworthy, 

THINK ON THESE THINGS.

We are bombarded with lots of garbage every day, but WE get to decide what we let into our minds.  If it's not building you up and making you better, then it's not worth your time to think about!

We Are Family!!

In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 

And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, 

because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

~ 1 Peter 5:5 

 

 

It's time for a little history lesson....go ahead and roll your eyes, yawn, stretch, and get your coffee...way back when I was a child, I remember my Mom getting ready for church and after she was dressed in her "Sunday go to meeting" attire, she would put on an apron and prepare lunch, which would cook while we were gone so it would be ready to eat when we got home.  What was the purpose of the apron? To keep her clothes clean.

 

In the old days, before color photography, tradesmen would wear aprons, overalls, and even coveralls when they were working (this was way back when even the garbage collectors wore ties). Why? So they wouldn't get their clothes dirty.  But it was also one way of marking the blue collar worker from the white collar worker.

 

Now...When Peter tells us to "clothe yourselves with humility toward one another" he is using the language that indicates putting on an apron (in Peter's day, slaves word aprons and it distinguished them from former slaves, called freedmen).  What Peter is telling us is to not be afraid or hesitant to understand that we are no better than anyone else!  Peter, a fisherman by trade, was very familiar with the idea that there are some who believe they are better than everyone else...the "don't you know who I am?" club.

 

It's taken quite a few lumps, bumps and bruises, but I have learned that I am not better than anyone else by any stretch of the imagination.  I, like everyone else, must take in nourishment, expel waste, and breathe.  In its basest form, those are the functions of existing.  Therefore, unless I can figure out how to exist without having to go through those processes, I actually might be better than others.

 

Here's the fact: God created us (ALL OF US) in His image! If you remember the story of the Last Supper, Jesus removed His clothing, wrapped a towel around Himself, and washed the feet of His Disciples!  If Jesus could humble Himself in such a way, why is it so difficult for us?

Hating The Haters Makes You Like Them....A Hater!

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much."

~Matthew 5:43-46

 

There has been quite the uproar of late about how one group hates another group and fights ensue leaving chaos and injury in their wake.  And then, we have people like the black officer helping an member of the KKK with a heat related condition into the shade.  Let's be completely honest here, that officer did not HAVE to help this man, but he did.  He did not HAVE to bring him to shade, but he did.  He could have called a white officer over to take care of this, but he chose to do it himself.  He could have told this member of the KKK, "You hate me because of my skin.  You believe you are better than me.  So good luck to you."  But he didn't.

 

THIS is how God expects us to act.  THIS is how Jesus instructed us to act.  We, as believers, are SUPPOSED to be weird; we are SUPPOSED to be different, even if it shocks the rest of the world.  

 

When we hate the haters...we are just like them!  Yet Christ called us to love those who hate us.  

 

Let me state the obvious here: 

Skin Color Is Just The Gift Wrap, The Gift Or The Curse Is What Is In The Heart! 

 

Look at the gift, not the wrapping.  BE the gift worth receiving!