DOES THE LORD ACTUALLY HATE?

A three-year-old said to me, “Preacher, you said a bad word.”  “Oh, really?  I’m sorry.  What did I say?”  “You said ‘hate.’  You said you hate Brussels sprouts.”

I’m glad his parents had taught him not to use the word “hate.”  But as we grow older we come to realize that God actually hates and that in order to be Godly (God-like), we have to learn to hate the same things He does.  The Bible is clear on the seven things that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). 

But because the term “hate” is so negative, maybe we should approach this topic from another direction.  How about we list the things that God loves?  If Prov. 6:16-19 tells us the seven things that God hates, then certainly the opposite of each one of those would be something that God loves.  Get it?

1. God loves humble eyes, people who are poor in spirit, whose request is, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.”
2. God loves a truthful tongue seasoned with kindness.
3. God loves hands that dispense mercy, hands that bind up wounds and provide for the needs of all.
4. God loves a heart that is constantly devising ways to serve others and to be a blessing.
5. God loves feet that run to preach to the “prospect in the chariot,” to do errands for the widow, and to push the mop that cleans up the mess.
6. God loves a truthful witness.
7. God loves a peacemaker who aids reconciliation of those who are estranged, tears down walls and builds bridges, and who by proclaiming the gospel of peace, reconciles men to God.

God loves you.  There’s no question about that.  If tomorrow you could become twice as good as you are today, and duplicate this feat every day for the next 30 years, God wouldn’t love you any more then than He does right now!
God loves you, but does he love everything about you?  Does he love what you do?

Mike Eaton

Watchmaker Film

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