You might be thinking: I didn’t break this world; it was already broken when I got here. Well, I can’t argue with that; but you’re here now; and the Word says in Romans 3:23 that we have all fallen short of the glory of God. We can’t pretend like none of this is our fault. That’s like a disobedient child destroying a toy—then throws a five-alarm tantrum when the toy is broken. We shouldn’t waste our faith believing God will make all the wrongs of this world go away if we’re not willing to make the necessary sacrifices to bring about restoration.
Hate unmasked!
If we examine the root cause of this brokenness, we’ll find the hand of Satan disseminating discord—using man’s adversarial nature to pump out hate. Though that’s nothing new; the enemy has always used people, including church folk, to spread his venom. Yet, things seem different now; hate has taken off its mask; and has boisterously accelerated its course to an alarming degree that can’t be ignored.
God has already done His part.
All this destruction started back when Adam sinned; however, God so loved the world sent His Son to restore us back to Him. Jesus came and modeled God’s redemption plan; paid our sin debt with His blood; left us written instructions; and now we have the Holy Spirit to—teach, guide, protect, and comfort us.
It’s the Church’s turn.
God has given His Church (the Body of Christ) everything she needs to overcome this spirit of hate that is trying to take over this world. Her most trying challenge is to: not succumb to the enemy’s deceitful tactics that he specifically designed to control her emotions. Hate, for instance, is one of those emotions that has many disguises; the most ardent Christians can be harboring ill feelings and not know it. Just like a driver suspected of being intoxicated breathes into a breathalyzer, a person who suspects hate is steering their emotions should ask the “hate analyzer” question:
Would I want myself or my loved ones treated in such a deplorable manner?
Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31, NIV).
That question rips the veil off hate—exposing it for what it is. If we align our actions to the way we would want to be treated, we’ll open our hearts for the power of the Holy Spirit to intervene. When we operate out of kindheartedness without any undermining ulterior motives, we touch the heart of God. The Spirit will empower and lead us in the way we should go.
When the Church walks in the Love of God, the world gets to see God is Love; and since God is Love—love is the glue that will mend the broken pieces.
You’re not responsible for all repairs—just the parts you broke.
- If we say that we have fellowship with him, [God] and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:6-7).
- Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them (1 John 2:9-11, NIV).
- Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14, NIV).
© 2020
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