How to live without hate
In my 59 years on earth I have heard, and seen many forms of
hate. That considered, I don’t know of
any that top the massacre at the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church. The cold blooded massacre of women and
children was clearly planned as the gunman fired 15 magazines of bullets regardless of whom he was shooting at. It’s hard to even carry that much ammunition.
While you might be tempted to think this type of hate is
something new, it’s clearly not.
Recently I studied the Reformation considering it’s the 500th
anniversary of the event. If you look at
what happened just afterward, hundreds of thousands of people were killed over
relatively small differences in beliefs in how to worship correctly within the church. Did they not read Ephesians 4:31 “Get rid of
all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of
malice”? Did they not consider the most
peaceful words ever spoken were directly from Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount?
If a key exists to
living without hate, I believe it is found directly in humility.
The Sermon on the Mount begins with what is
known as the Beatitudes. The focus is
clearly on humility. Who am I that I
should judge others? Who am I to say I
am better than anyone else? What within
my DNA suggests I am somehow superior?
If you want to avoid the endless hate in the world reread
the Sermon on the Mount. Then make it
your mission to live it. I know of no
words to live by that can bring you personally peace than these.
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