Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, January 29, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Yikes. This is what is so so so so so wrong with some folks who claim to be Christians. Folks who insist that anyone who doesn’t believe exactly to the letter what they believe about God is entirely deluded or even evil and ought to be condemned or worse. God doesn’t hate so why would God want us to hate?
The instinct to speak and act violently toward those who disagree with us arises from fear, and it’s something we need work against every day. If we are confident that God, in infinite love, is in charge of all things, then we wouldn’t feel the need to wrest control from God and take matters into our own hands.
Bottom line: God does not hate. Neither should I.
Do I find myself disliking or even hating those who disagree with me? How can I seek forgiveness for this?