“Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.” Romans 12:9 NLT
So much is said today about groups who hate other people or their actions if they differ from their own interpretations of religion and scripture. They will even claim to do this in the name of love. If you listen carefully, you will hear that this is a “pretend” kind of love, not an actual love. We do not have permission from God to “love the sinner, but hate the sin” when our actions betray us as haters and discriminators.
Actions always speak louder than words. I may arrive at home late in the afternoon and greet Famous with a pat on the head and a promise to go right outside for a walk. What he sometimes will see, in fact, is my taking the time to change clothes, check the mail, and grab a snack before I finally focus on getting his lead in preparation for the walk I had promised to him ten minutes earlier. He does not let me get away with it either. Unless he sees me moving towards the door he can begin to issue a series of high-pitched howls as a tea kettle releasing steam until it is taken from the stove. I demonstrate my love not with the original intent, but with the final sacrifice of time and energy. And in most cases, the exuberant joy he exhibits in appreciation does in fact infect my heart and elevates me to a renewed wonder of the love we share.
Today, Lord, I pray you will change the hearts of others who speak hate yet justify it by saying it is your will.
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