“Hatred is different from anger.”

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Loving People (p.36). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

So, what is the deal with hatred?

John says, “While anger is an emotion, and emotions are transitory and can change quickly, hatred is a stance. It has no real time limit to it. Hatred indicates that you wish someone ill or desire revenge or pain for them. It is more of a value and attitude than an emotion. Hatred can destroy love and relationship. That is, if you dislike someone so intensely that you find yourself wishing the person harm, or that he will fail in life, it is anti-love, the opposite of seeking and accomplishing the person’s best.”

He goes on, “Often, hatred that will not go away has other causes that keep it alive. For example, a lack of forgiveness, a relationship in which we feel helpless and controlled, our resistance to the freedoms of others, and our envy of the success of others are common roots of hatred. We need to be aware of, and take responsibility for, our wishes to take revenge on and hurt those with whom we are in conflict. We need to identify these feelings and then let them go.

“There is a necessary hatred in love, however. This sort of hatred can, in fact, be a very good thing, as it is meant to help us guard things that would destroy love forever. While wishing a loved one harm will do you no good, at the same time, there are things that you, as a loving person, should really hate! We do well to hate things that stand in the way of love. In fact, if we do not hate the right things, it can compromise our ability to truly love. That is the way God is inside his heart. He cannot stand things that hurt the good he wants to see in the world. In that way, hatred and anger are similar. If they are for protecting love and goodness, they are helpful. If they are for selfishness or hurting others, they are destructive.

“Just as God has things he loves, he also has a ‘hate list.’ Here are just a few of the things the Bible tells us God hates:

· Proverbs 16:19 says, “There are six things the LORD hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.”

· Isaiah 61:8, “For I, the LORD, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing.”

· Zechariah 8:17, “Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the LORD.”

· Romans 12: 9, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”

John then says, “. . . God hates anything that hurts love, goodness, and innocence. His hatred protects and guards love from harm. So learn to become a loving person who hates what God hates. It will help clarify and define you in order for you to love what he loves also. As I said earlier, ‘Love the sinner and hate the sin.’ And realize that we need the same grace that we are to give to others.

We do, don’t we?

Yes, yes!

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

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