A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (July 10, 2018)
Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. (1 Peter 4:8, Amplified Bible)
When God created us He created us with emotions and feelings. Some of those emotions and feelings are good, and some are not so good. It’s our choice as to which ones we let control us. The fruits of the Spirit include love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. These are the ones that should control us and the scripture tells us that the greatest and most powerful of all these fruits is love.
For just a minute, I want you to imagine yourself in the role of Satan. You are the ruler of darkness and your job is to kill, steal, and destroy. You are the father of lies and you want to come against anything God uses to bring harmony, goodness, healing, and liberty into this earth. You are all about confusion and discord and you realize that the best way to initiate confusion and discord is to start sowing seeds of hatred.
Hate is the opposite of love. It is the perfect way to turn light into darkness. It is the perfect way to hide God’s purpose and destiny for a person or a nation. It is the perfect way to separate us from God and thus separate us from our power source. It is the perfect way to start wars. Listen to what John the Apostle said about love compared to hate:
Love keeps us from stumbling – He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. (1 John 2:9-10)
Hate blinds us and gets us off course – But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:11)
Love identifies those who know God and hate identifies those that do not know God – Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
What we all need to see is that hate is a prime tactic of the enemy. Just like it can lead individuals astray, it can also lead entire nations astray. Look around you. We have too much hate being spewed out in this nation from many different directions. It’s not the answer, and it’s not of God!!! We need to understand that the worldly do not have the answer for peace and prosperity. Jesus is our only answer and we need an awakening to the truth of the Word of God.
Love will keep us from stumbling. Love will keep us on course. Love will help us identify the truth from a lie. Love will show us the followers of God versus the followers of Satan. We need to be supporting those people and institutions that exhibit love and not hate because hate only divides us and a house divided will not stand.
The Book of Jude talks at length about all the challenges we will have in the last days with ungodly people. The following is Jude’s advice on how the godly should behave in these last days:
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pullingf them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 1:21-25)
Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. (1 Corinthians 13:8, AMPC Bible)
