Is Love A Choice?/Rashea@LLO2 Academy
Are you?
How can we say we are saved by God's grace and still walk in hate?
Is hatred ever okay as a Christian?
According to the Bible it is not.
Our feelings and opinions may say it is okay to hate someone, especially another brother or sister in the faith, but it is never okay to hate someone as a Christian.
Hate is of the devil. Hatred is sin, and it leads to sin. And sin leads to destruction of all kinds.
"I love God?"
Do you really love God?
Love is of God. The bible is clear, 9 "Whoever says they are in the Light (in Jesus and the Way of Truth; a Christian) and yet hates their brother or sister (in the faith) is actually in darkness (sin; walking in a state of sin and degeneration; a state of ignorance) even until now. 10 Whoever loves their brother or sister (fellow believer; others) is in the Light (in Jesus and the Way of Truth; a Christian), and in It or them there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin. 11 But those who hate (detests, despise, has an unresolved grudge towards) their brothers and sisters (in the faith) is in darkness and walking in darkness (walking and living in a state of sin and degeneration inwardly); they are straying and do not perceive or know where they are actually going (directionally; lacking spiritual guidance and accuracy of moral and spiritual fortitude), because their eyes are darkened (bearing not insight or revelation of God's Truth and moral standard; spiritually dull in thought, reasoning and the conforming to God's Truth and the Word of God in belief, thought, behavior, commitment and communication). -1John2:9, 10 &11
In other words, Jesus is telling us that the indicator and proof of our love for God is to love others genuinely. It is impossible to love a God that you cannot visibly and tangibly see and hate people you can visibly and tangibly see. The gospel is to the church first, and so often we are quick to condemn the world and other Christians, while condoning and justifying our own shortcomings, thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Justification is for repented sins forgiven not a means to justify our own unrepented sins, biases and opinions of how we feel God should think toward sin and righteousness.
What is the first commandment and GREATEST commandment?
Jesus, Himself, said the first and greatest commandment is love. Love is a gauge and a navigation for all we do as Christian's. Love for God, one another and ourselves stems from the commandment of love and to love.
If you do not love all people, you are in sin. God is love, and love is God and from God. If you are living in offense or on the defense all the time, that is an indication that some level of unforgiveness is harbored in your heart toward someone or something.
It is so important to be healed of offenses that keep us defensive beyond reasoning.👀 Unforgiveness leads to other sins that can be harmful and hurtful to ourselves and others. God said, "He will not accept our worship or giving from our hands, when our hearts are full of hate, bitterness or unforgiveness." He says, "Stop. Do not bring your offerings to Me with a grudge in your heart. Go to your brother or sister and resolve the matter. Then offer your offerings free of unforgiveness, and I then will accept them." -Matthew 18:15-17
You cannot properly minister or lead others with hate in your heart. What you feed you breed. What you breed you conceive. What is in your heart will come out of your mouth and surface in your actions.
As minister's of the gospel and leaders called to reach other's with the love of Jesus, are we leaning into hate, consciously and subconsciously practicing, teaching and preaching hate? The Way of religion is to be sacrilegious yet not produce genuine evidence of a transformed heart or life. The way of religion is to condemn others who are on a journey of transformation themselves when we hear, see or even assume they have fallen short of the very things we ourselves harbor or are working through.🙃 Oh my God.🤦♀️
Is that right? According to the Bible, it's all wrong. (Romans chapters 2 & 3.)
People what are we teaching, preaching and reaching others with? A message of Satan's hate leading to hypocrisy and sin? Or a message of God's love leading to grace and patience?
God does give us permission to hate sin, but not to hate others, whether they are in sin or in the Way of truth. God reaches us through His love that draws us out of sin into the Way of love. That same love that saved us is the same love we are to show to others saved or not, with us or not, similar to us or totally different than us.
GOD IS LOVE. WALK IN THE WAY OF LOVE. EVERYDAY NOT WHEN IT IS CONVENIENT OR WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT.
Jesus did not want to be crucified. He did not want to go through such extremities to atone for your sins. He asked God the Father, "Father, is there another way to do this?" But this was the only way. Love and the ministry help of an angel passionately gave Jesus the strength to finish the work (Luke 22:39-43).
In the end Jesus cried out, "Father, it is finished," (John 19:30)! An essential part of the finish work of Jesus is found in John 17. That finished work is love and unity within the body of Christ, living our lives to honor God and reaching souls for God through the finish work of Jesus through justification and sanctification.
LET US THEREFORE LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS CHRIST HAS DEEMED LOVE TO BE.
Rashea@LLO2
