|
From: David Foss
Galesville, Wis.
Is anyone born with a hate-filled heart? Of course not. But what has caused so many people to have hearts that are so full of hate? Here are some possibilities: reared by abusive parents, having been lied to or deceived, having been bullied, having been verbally abused, having gone through very trying times, unanswered prayer, having been teased or made fun of, passed over for promotion, having been used or taken advantage of, feeling ignored or neglected by everyone, life hasn’t treated them fairly, aren’t able to acquire what they want, etc. Of course there are any number of reasons that peoples’ hearts become full of hate.
Have we done anything to help those whose hearts are full of hate? After all, hate-filled folks are not happy people. All of us can remember a time when we were angry, but we certainly wouldn’t want to remain in an angry state of mind very long. Hate does not make anyone’s day a happy day, so what are we doing to befriend a hate-filled person?
Do people who are full of hate have many genuine, close friends? Not likely. Why not? Well, who enjoys being around those who are full of hate? So they might be very lonely and depressed people because they have few or no true friends. Once again, what can and should we do to help change a heart of hate into a heart of love?
If we were one of these hate-filled individuals, wouldn’t we want people to be concerned about where we are going to spend eternity? Wouldn’t we want people to love and respect us? Don’t all of us have at least one imperfection?
If we have hate-filled hearts (those of us who hate God, Biblical Christians and anyone who stands for what is right and good), would we want everyone to give up on us? Absolutely not. Abraham Lincoln has said, “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.” How many hate-filled people will be eternally grateful to the individuals who used God’s recipe (love, prayers, blessings and doing something good) in changing their hate-filled hearts?
What can miraculously change a heart that is filled with hate? This can. Love them, bless them, do something good for them, pray for them. Doing these four things will not fail. It is God’s cure-all for a hate-filled heart.
Ponder Matthew 5:44
|
