Love VS The Rest

Love VS The Rest

A couple of questions for you to answer. Pray over these before you answer and then be honest – if you dare !!

What is the value of our love if we still hold hatred?
There is a song in the musical South Pacific. The words go something like – “You have to be carefully taught . . . . . . . to hate all the people your relatives hate . . .” This seems to be the main mantra of present day society. Yet why would any thinking person, and intelligent person hate just because someone else does?? It doesn’t make any sense. But so many do. Hatred kills love. That’s the bottom line for any Christian – you cannot love if there is ANY hate in your heart. We must forgive and ask forgiveness if there is any hate in us.

What is the value of our faith if we still doubt?
What is faith? “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) If we believe Jesus suffered and died for us; that He rose from the dead, and if we have faith that because we believe in Him and ALL that He did for us, then we will get to heaven – why is it we so desperately cry out but have no real faith for healing or provision or family salvations? How is it we believe so little and doubt so much?

Jesus told us to love our neighbour as ourselves - so where is judgement in loving our neighbour?
Yes – I know. Your neighbours are not nice people, neither are many others who live in your street, your town, your city. Crime is rising, respect for each other is at an all-time low, and who is my neighbour anyway? We see or hear one thing and we judge, perhaps forever more, our neighbour – and he probably does the same for us too. The Church itself is guilty of more ‘devoid of love’ judgments and pronouncements than I could even imagine. Yet, as the song said, we have all ‘been carefully taught’, and we all judge needlessly or at best prematurely.

Hate, doubt, judgementalism - all are the weapons of the enemy. The enemy wishes nothing more than our destruction – to break down our family, our job, our life. He wants to cast doubt upon every belief we hold dear. He wants us to judge when he knows there is only one Judge – whom we must all face one day.

Can we just simply love one another AND our 'enemies' too?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV with my interpretation)
“Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Love is patient, love is kind. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Isn’t love the best way ???