A Practice that Protects the Heart
November 24, 2024
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The little boy boldly said this sentence right in front of me:
God is only love. He doesn’t hate anything.
I can’t get it out of my mind.
Oh, dear little boy, you are right. God is love. The bible says so! It’s right there in 1 John 4:16: And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
But little boy, God hates too.
For example:There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. (Proverbs 6:16-19)
Understanding that God hates some things better helps us comprehend His love.
Only when we understand His hate for the sins we have committed — detestable to His holiness — do we understand how much He loves is. Instead of turning away from me– or you — God paid our debt with His Son Jesus for what He hates.
He paid for what He hated to have a relationship with us.
In addition, most people had no interest in the offering of His Son to us. Suppose a man were to walk along a city street today and say to everyone he saw, “I will pay all of your bills today. Show them to me and I will pay. Please let me!” I suspect most passersby would back away in fear or skirt around him quickly without making eye contact. Others might make a comment like, “I don’t need you to do that. I can pay my bills myself!” Others might respond with, “You have no idea how much debt I have. You don’t know what you are saying. You can’t pay my bills. I have student loans.” Still others might mock the “crazy” man or taunt him.
On the day God was offering His Son’s death for payment of sin he hates, people were responding in these ways to God’s unbelievably sacrificial and genuine offer that He was completely capable of fulfilling. People are still responding in these ways as the offer remains on the table. Such responses are included in the list of things God hates, like haughty eyes.
Makes me wanna cry.
Little boy, this post isn’t about you. You are supposed to grow up knowing the love of God. As already stated, you are correct. God is love. When you are later exposed to the realities of sin and darkness in your own heart and in the world, you will someday rejoice even more that God loves you so much that He died for what He hates. And when your heart grasps this gospel message at deeper levels, I predict how you will respond.
You will go tell the world.
Picture Explanation: My husband went on a walk and brought me pictures of flowers for my blog.
There is an online study of One Gritty Blink starting September 21 from 7-9 p.m. Click on the Oaks Ministries link below to view the trailer and consider joining.
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I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes growth.
1 Corinthians 3:6
