Last week blog was dealing with loving people to draw them in to the kingdom of God. God commands us to love one another. We can hate the sin and not the person. Harboring unforgiveness and hate towards a person is not of God. Read 1 Corinthians 13 daily on the attributes of love. God is love and if you are operating in bitterness and hate God is not pleased. Remember the Webster’s meaning of forget is to intentionally disregard any wrong done to you. However. it takes faith to walk in the God kind of love.
I John 4:8 NIV : Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. When we walk in love that is how we get closer to God and that is how we know Him. Love is patient so you will be tested with people cutting you off in traffic, or a family/friend who may get rude and say harsh words to you; that is the time to walk by faith by choosing to walk in love. Love is not a feeling, it is a choice. God reminded me we love Him if we keep His commandments. The greatest commandment is love
Love is the fulfillment of the law. Faith works by love. I was reminded if we love God He will manifest Himself to us. (John 14:21). We can walk in the full manifestation of God’s promises by walking in love.
1 John 3:15-18 NIV: 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
We may not physically murder a person but in God’s eyes it is one and the same when we hate people. We should pray for the ones who does us wrong. Some we have to love from a distance. Even Jesus moved on when they did not receive Him.
Matthew 5:43-48:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, [n]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. 46 For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? 48 You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God led me to watch “The Meanest Man In Texas” on Tubi. It is based on a true story. Convicted murderer Clyde Thompson receives the death penalty for shooting two men in Texas in 1928. When the governor spares his life, Thompson gains a reputation as the meanest man in the state while working hard labor in prison. After receiving three life sentences for other crimes, Thompson soon turns his life around by studying the Bible, becoming a chaplain and developing a relationship with Julia Perryman — the love of his life. Powerful movie on how the love of God can come in and transform the meanest criminal. God reminded me about the thief on the cross how he believed in Jesus and told him to remember him in paradise. As long as you are breathing there is hope. God is no respect of persons and not willing that any should die in their sins but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), it means God loves the criminals as well. Hell is much worse than prison. We should pray for criminals souls to be saved. It is not easy to do. It takes the power of God through His word and the leading of the Holy Spirit to love someone who is a murderer who has no remorse. However, Jesus died for them too. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but we come against the evil spirit operating in them.
Years back, I was treated badly by a superior at work. My team I worked with was very frustrated with our superior. We went in and prayed over the situation. We prayed God change the heart of our superior or change the situation. We continued to work as unto God. The person got demoted while I was on vacation. Someone called me and shared the news. I started rejoicing and saying that is what that person get. God immediately reminded me of a scripture in Proverbs 24:17-18: 17 Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls,And do not let your heart be glad [in self-righteousness] when he stumbles,18 Or the Lord will see your gloating and be displeased, And turn His anger away from your enemy. Vengeance is God’s business not ours. I immediately repented and asked God to help me.
Matthew 6:15 NIV: 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
1 John 4:20 Message Version: If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
Do not be like Joseph brothers who hated him without a cause and plotted to kill him because of jealousy. Joseph loved his brothers in spite of what they did and he went from the pit to the palace. Cain killed his brother Abel out of anger because God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected his offering. Love doesn’t seek its own, it is not jealous. When we congratulate others the anointing comes for you to receive. Ask God to help you. You can be angry at injustice or wrong done but do not sin by holding onto anger because it can turn into bitterness, hatred, and rage. I vent to God a lot when I am upset and God would deal with me and instruct me in what to do. The phrase “release the grudge God is the judge” came from me venting to God because I was hurt. God told me I had to let it go. I wrote the blog and it was one of the most read blogs because people were able to identify with what I was going through.
Hate stinks and watches while you sink!
Prayer: God, thank you for your unfailing love. I get to know you when I walk in love because you are love. Love is the greatest commandment. God shine a light in areas where I fall short. Faith works by love. I am not overcome by evil but I overcome evil with good. I pray for everyone because you are not willing that any should die in their sins but all come to repentance. You are no respect of persons. You died for all people. Vengeance belongs to you so I release bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness and give it over to you. I thank you for the victory in Jesus name! Amen.