November 20
"Let those who love the LORD hate evil. The one who guards the lives of his godly ones will rescue them from the power of wicked people. Light dawns for righteous people and joy for those whose motives are decent. Find joy in the LORD, you righteous people. Give thanks to him as you remember how holy he is." -Psalm 97:10-12 (GW)
“Hate” is a raw and challenging reality we all struggle with. Yet sometimes we forget the difference between hating evil deeds and instead hate the person rather than their evil deeds. If our hatred is shifted from the evil a person does onto the person themselves, even more evil can be generated. While we shouldn't hate individual people, scripture tells us we should hate evil and its destructive power. Feelings of hate are difficult powerful emotions yet we all need to learn how to handle them as God wishes us to. It is vital we learn to do so or we can become trapped by evil ourselves because feelings of hate can quickly draw us to the dark side. We need to remember evil exists in our world because of Satan who is Prince of lies, death and destruction. So when evil rears its ugly head, let's be courageous and oppose the Prince of Evil and his wicked plans. Yet in this process, Jesus says we need to pray for all trapped by evil even if they are enemies. (Mth.5:43-44)
Yet hate can also be a powerful motivation for achieving justice. Paul says, "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good."(Rom.12:9) Ecclesiastes says there is a "time to hate."(3:8) While we shouldn't hate evil people, we should hate what they do. We should hate it when others are abused, children starve, or God is mocked. We need to hate sin in our life and the lives of others as the evil it carries is trying to destroy us all. Yet we should always love the sinner. This is God's attitude. A deep love for God can bring an alignment of our feelings with God's. May we then love what God loves and hate what God hates. If we love God, we will hate evil. Yet if we admire those who bully, mock, or humiliate others and envy those who prosper by evil means, we aren't pleasing God. However, when you love truth, hate evil, and work for good, God is pleased! You will be rewarded and blessed!
Prayer: Lord God, Help me to rescue others from evil. Amen.
Meditation For The Day: Love is stronger than hate!
Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Fall Renewal (Volume 3) Paperback – August 23, 2017 by Rev. Dr. Mary B. Johnson (Author)
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