Posts Tagged ‘ Hatred ’
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18, CSB
Christ is our example of love, enduring even hatred and persecution to bring others to the knowledge of His love and the hope of eternal life with Him.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Matthew 5:10, CSB
Only God can make us righteous, and this makes the people of this world angry and want to bring us down. God has promised to deliver us through persecution and into His eternal Kingdom.
One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all.
Psalm 34:19, CSB
Jesus’ body is not in the tomb, so we can be courageous in the face of hatred and persecution for our faith in Christ, for He is overcoming all enemies.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11, ESV
God is changing this world for His glory, and He sends Christians into the world to make this change, amidst hatred and violence toward His Word, bringing us into glory at the end of our lives.
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:7-8, ESV
The answer to the hatred, hubris, and hedonism of the world is to be like Christ: deny ourselves for the sake of others that they may come to know the lover of our souls, Christ.
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
Matthew 2:16, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Jesus came, and the first powerful person to hear about him reacted … violently
Have things really changed?
We still react to God in violent and nasty ways, usually against each other. When we get upset, we attack God by attacking His image found in each of us.
We demean each other, mock and ridicule and belittle each other. We kill and mutilate ourselves and each other, our children, our elderly and infirm.
All of this is our attempt to push away and destroy God from in our lives.
And we all do it.
Herod wanted to destroy Christ, but he was only fulfilling prophecy.
Christ came to save us, and it meant living in this fallen world with all of its dangers and temptations.
But He did not give in, and turned our anger and violence into the tools to save us.
Let us respect the image of God in each other, turning to the One who took on our image to redeem us.
May we seek the Lord who works in the midst of our sin to redeem us from sin.
Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Isaiah 9:17, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
We do horrible things to ourselves, to each other, and against God.
We don’t seek God, but instead we think we know better than He does.
We even accuse Him of evil and being a moral monster for not doing things the way we think He should.
As a whole, we have turned from God and chosen to do our own thing far more than we have chosen Him and His ways.
Look at history and see how much we have rebelled against God and hurt each other, through cults, tyranny, bullying, murder, war, and so many other horrible things.
Because “we know better.”
If we are ignoring God and His commands, why should He care for us? If we want nothing to do with Him, why should He be kind to us?
May we seek the Lord who has given us kindness and grace because of His great love for us.
The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
Isaiah 9:13, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
We do horrible things to each other and against God.
We don’t like to believe that God punishes people, either. However, the Old Testament shows how often Israel disobeyed God, and God allowed and even sent disasters and armies to correct them and draw them back to Himself.
But we like to think we know better, so we refuse to go to Him or even blame Him for everything wrong in this life.
How could He allow such bad things to happen? How could a good God let evil happen to good people?
But He has told us that none of us are truly good, that we don’t seek our Maker.
He sends and allows because He has given us the choice to ignore, hate, and refuse Him.
Yes, God sends things that hurt but it to draw us in, and He also sends Himself to hold us.
May we seek the Lord who draws us in.
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4, ESV
The Devil and those who hate God and His people will do hat they can to stop the spread of the Gospel.
But we know that Christ lives in us by the Holy Spirit, and He has already overcome evil by His death and resurrection.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32, ESV
The One with every right to have wrath against us chose grace and forgiveness. Let God handle those who [may] have wronged you; show grace and forgiveness.
a simple man of God 