Hate? // Romans 12:9

Were you taught when you were a kid not to hate? I was; in fact, there are still times I feel inclined to say I hate something, then feel guilty for it. How about you? The reality is, hate isn’t something God wants us to avoid…at least not entirely. As we see in today’s verse, we are to hate evil. That is sandwiched between two other pieces of wisdom that should inspire us: love sincerely and cling to good things. There are quite a few things we need to hate lest we tolerate, then celebrate, before being inclined to participate. A big piece of the human heart that is prone to deception is revealed by how easy it is for us to love the things we should hate and hate the things we should love. Let’s take a look at Proverbs 6:16-19 that gives us a list of the things God hates: “There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” How does that list strike you? I think about how I have been guilty of some of those. I want to hate the things that God hates so I can love like God loves. How about you? What evil things do you need to hate today so you can experience the sincere love of God? Find those good things and cling to them…cling to God…with all you have and are.