2/23/24 Lit Word "“Love or Hate”

Date: 2/23/24
Today's Reading:
OT: Leviticus 14:1-57
NT: Mark 6:30-56
Psalms: 40:1-10
Proverbs: 10:11-12

Neal’s Lit Word

Title: “Love or Hate”

Scripture: Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.

Transgression Biblical Definition:

To revolt against God. Rebel, Sin, Wicked, Faithlessness, Apostasy, Defection. (affector or defector?)
It is the technical term for willful disobedience or deviation from God's path. It is “premeditated” crossing the line, a rebellious act of rejecting God’s authority.

Observation: What is God saying to me?

What will it be, love or hate? Where are you coming from?

People judge other people based on the actions they see, or the tone they hear. Sadly, many people judge others by their actions, and judge themselves based on intentions.

Only God knows the intentions of a person's heart.
Love leads others to get right and be right with God.
Hate seeks to destroy whatever is in its path.
Whether something is done in love or hate is a matter of the intentions and motivation of the heart.

Hate as described in the above verse is the disposition of hell and leads to more transgressions.
Love as described in the above verse is the disposition of heaven and leads to forgiveness for transgressions.

1 John 4:16 - God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

“Hatred stirs up strife” – it’s a direct transgression ⬆️ When we walk in hate and stir up strife we are not operating in God's love…. Period.

People these days manipulate and twist this word. In this culture, people sometimes mistake truth for hate. How? All truth is God’s truth. You can’t have “truth” apart from God. Whatever God says, is true. Some people get upset when others share the truth, because it exposes them and corrects them. Naturally, people do not like to be corrected, so when the truth is spoken, they manipulate and call it “hate.”

Examples: When people say… “this is my truth” – There is no such thing as “your truth,” there is only truth! And “All truth is God’s truth.” If you operate outside of God’s truth, if you call evil good and good evil, when you get corrected, that’s not hate, it's truth! Truth needs to be shared from a heart disposition of love. Unfortunately many people share truth from a disposition of hate and in doing so it voids the power of the truth.

Specific examples from today’s culture:
Calling a male, a female. A female a male. Allowing a child to believe they are a cat. (it’s not true, it’s a lie)

Calling evil good and good evil. (it’s not true, it’s a lie)
Saying it is ok or good to violate God’s commands
Saying it is good to….
Take from others without asking (steal)
Saying it’s ok to divorce (apart from biblical reasons)
Saying it’s ok to have sex outside of marriage

What’s the point here…. “All truth is God’s truth” and to share God’s truth apart from love, with an attitude of hate is not what Jesus would do.

We need to share truth, but always with love because love covers transgressions.

We are ALL TRANSGRESSORS, but when we face the truth and embrace God’s love, when we stop coming from a place of hate and strife and instead check our own hearts before God… He will always lead us to a place of love, He will never lead us to a place of hate.

God is love. If it comes from God, it comes from love.
If it comes from hate it's a habit of hell.

Application: What will I do about it?

Let’s commit today to be people who check our hearts to see if we are coming from love or hate. No one can do that for you. No one knows the answer to that question, love or hate, other than you and God.

Quit judging others based on outward appearances, start asking the Holy Spirit to point out what position you are coming from, love or hate.

If it’s hate, ask God to turn your heart from hate to love.

Bottom line: If it’s not love, it’s not God.
Another Bottom Line: It’s not hate to speak the truth in love.

Prayer:

Lord help us to be people of love, who follow You, the God of love. Forgive us of our transgressions, just as we forgive those who transgress against us. Jesus, your death on the cross was the ultimate act of love that frees our hearts from hate and enables us to embrace the truth in love. Thank You for making a way Jesus. Amen

I Am Grateful For… love in place of hate.

Tracker Questions

What will it be, love or hate?

When you ask God to search your heart, are there any places of your heart that are currently stuck in hate? What are they? Who or what are they directed to?

Are you willing to repent and ask God to exchange the hate for truth in love?