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The following comes from the devotional book “What Now?” by Ashley Akers. To learn more, go to www.whatnowdevo.com.
Hatred
Have you ever had to deal with a group of people who were just downright mean and you hated them for it? When I was in middle school there was a group of girls that were considered the “mean girls” of my grade. Girls feared them. They thought they were tough – and they were.
One day at recess one of the mean girls and her posse approached me. Apparently, it had been reported that I said I loved her boyfriend in a Valentine’s school newsletter and she wasn’t happy. I was confused. I had not put anything in the newsletter, nor did I know her boyfriend. But, all she cared about was getting revenge and I was her target.
So, the fight began. She and her posse mocked me for months, laughing at me in the halls while I sported a bruise on my face. I hated her before, but after our fight hate consumed me. She robbed me of my self-confidence, my worth and my peace. Nothing about it was fair; turns out the initials were two different people.
Later in life, after I accepted Christ, I realized why God says not to hold hatred in your heart.
Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”
Colossians 3:8-10 continues, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
When hatred or malice consumes us, it takes control. Slander comes easily and we tear down the character of our offenders. If we are not careful, the desire to cause physical harm will be inevitable. When emotions are high, we rarely make wise decisions. Am I right? What is shoved down in our hearts comes out of our mouths and the damage is done. We may not even have remorse for our words and actions and even say that they “deserved it”. However, we are all sinners and deserve…well…Hell.
Jesus came to earth and died on a cross for you, me, our neighbor and for the one you may hate. He took the punishment that we deserve so that we may have eternal life with Him in heaven. When you accept Jesus, He wants you to put off the old self with its practices and put on the new self. Out with the old (hate) and in with the new (love).
You can choose not to hate, but to love instead. Love covers all offenses. To love is to choose not to aggravate the offense so the relationship can be restored. There is not room in our hearts for both hatred and for God. It is one or the other, and I hope you choose God. God showed me how to love and my hatred for the mean girl eventually turned into prayer for her. I still think about her to this day, wondering where she is and hoping and praying that she found Jesus. God changed my heart and He is willing to transform your heart, too.
Reflection Questions
- Is there hatred in your heart toward anyone? Be specific and give reasons why.
- How do you deal with hatred?
- How has acting on your emotions made things worse?
Copyright © 2024 by Ashley Akers @ whatnowdevo.com. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org