Hate Will Not Be Honored
In October of 2023, the FBI released the 2022 Hate Crime Report which reported an increase in hate based crimes from 10,840 in 2021 to 11,634 in 2022. To put that into perspective, in 2022 there were 21,154 reported murders. Even worse is the 893,980 aggravated assault cases reported in America in 2022. Unfortunately, 2024 will dwarf those numbers.
You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. - Matthew 5:21,22
If you watch or read the news it’s easy to find yourself thinking, ‘What fools they are’ and you’ll likely experience a bump in blood pressure from the many ‘no consequence’ stories. However, every now and then the offenders do get caught and do receive negative consequences for their actions.
To bring it a bit closer to home, how do we respond when someone offends us and does receive the negative consequences we feel they deserve?
I won’t elaborate on how I’ve responded in the past other than to say, God gave us his perspective on that situation…
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.
Ouch! Not only does God tell us to not rejoice in their ‘getting what they deserve,’ he says he may even pullback on the consequences. That’s a tough Scripture to understand and accept until we look at our own lives and the mercy, and the grace, and the forgiveness God gave and continues to give us.
For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus - Romans 3:23, 24
Last week we spoke on the power available to us from the Holy Spirit to love one another. We just need to request it and use it in order to love instead of hate.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
Jesus himself said: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13: 34,35.
Christ is Love and we too can show the same love to others in all situations. However, without a relationship with Christ, that will be infinitely more difficult.
