The Plumbline

Hatred stirs up quarrels,  but love makes up for all offenses. (Proverbs 10:12) Another way to say this is that hatred actually 'fuels' dissension - it becomes a sometimes unrecognizable 'energy source' for the discord that ensues. It actually creates the 'material' that allows a situation to become 'combustible'. Dissension is just a fancy word for bickering, controversy, or disunity. If we want to stop any 'dissent', we must begin to chip away at the 'fuel' that it is being fed. There are many types of 'fuel', but allowing continual negative communication about the subject matter can actually begin to allow those words to take root in one's heart until there become enough 'fuel' to throw another log or two on that fire of discontent. Quarrels aren't always going to stop on their own - the fuel that allows them to continue has to be removed. Love calms the rebellion - not just in the visible sense, but also deep w...

I have to ask - how easy is it for you to hold a grudge? That old adage that time heals all wounds is really not all that relevant if you are really, really good at holding a grudge! In fact, the more you nurse a grudge, the longer it will hang around in your life, impacting not only the relationship you are so unwilling to forgive, but it begins to affect all the other relationships in your life, as well. Hurting someone who has hurt you - it is kind of an innate thing - it is just part of defending one's self, isn't it? Since the beginning of time, we have lashed out against things that hurt us - destroying them if we could, but at least distancing ourselves from them as much as possible. I gotta ask - is that really the best way to deal with people, though? Do not hurt someone who has hurt you. Do not keep on hating the sons of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18) While we might want to distance ourselves from the lion who prowls ...

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, " I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear ." Love is indeed harder to sometimes abide within, but the actions of hatred come easier than many would imagine. Love requires investment of one's self - entirely and without hesitation. Hatred has a very low 'ignition point' most of the time - making it an easy 'burn' for us, but hatred, like love, has to remain fueled in order to actually continue to grow. Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. (I Corinthians 13:4-5 TLB) The total truth about love is probably not known to any of us. I think we all see bits and pieces of love in action around us - experiencing it in varying degrees depending upon a number of factors ranging from ...

Love comes naturally - hate is learned.  We have probably seen this posted a few times in our Facebook feed, or on the local church sign in our neighborhoods.  It comes from the words of Nelson Mandela.  Here it is in context:  " No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. "  Some take issue with the idea of "learning" to love, because they think hatred is what comes naturally to a man or woman.  I think just the opposite is true - as we are all born in the image of our God and hatred is not the "natural" thing within his heart (unless it is hatred of sin)! For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here...

Here in the states, we just finished up the football season with the two "greatest" games of the year for these teams - the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl. Even the names of these two games suggest they are something to be considered an honor - only for the "pros" and those with "super" skill.  People paid thousands and thousands of dollars for tickets to the game, even more for room and board while they were here for upwards of a week or more, and still more for the fun and games they participated in while awaiting the games. According to an article I read on Forbes, a ticket was running over $11,000 just six hours prior to the Super Bowl!  One ticket!  That is enough for a down payment on a home!  That same ticket ran around $2,500 if it had been purchased earlier in January, but at that point prior to the game it had skyrocketed to this astronomical "value".  They even had a partitioned off section outside of the stadium in Glendale where people...

There are not many times in scripture where we are actually told it is okay to "hate" something, but when we are given this instruction it usually has something to do with evil or bad stuff.  For example, in both Exodus and Deuteronomy we are told God hates it when his kids worship other gods.  It doesn't say we are to hate worshipers who worship other gods, but that God hates this behavior in his kids.  In Deuteronomy 23, the Israelites were given specific instructions not to hate two groups of people - the Edomites and the Egyptians.  The Edomites were actually their relatives and the Israelites had actually spent time dwelling in the land of the Egyptians.  Hatred toward these two people groups was actually instructed against.  We are also told that God hates people who cheat (use false weights) in order to take advantage of another individual.  Psalm 5 tells us God hates those who make secret plans to hurt others.  In fact, God tells us ...

I used to teach my kids not to use the word "hate" when they described their dislike of something.  For example, whenever they said they "hated broccoli" I would ask them to change it to they "disliked broccoli".  Broccoli is an inanimate object - it has not soul.  Hatred carries this idea of "enmity" within the relationship - and my kids had no relationship with broccoli!  Whenever they said they "hated" this kid or that one, I would ask why they were feeling such passionate dislike and hostility toward them.  I tried to connect the difference between dislike and hatred by the idea of relationship.  We relate to people, not to an inanimate object.  We therefore have the ability to destroy people when we don't get things right in relationship with them.  We can regrow broccoli, but regrowing relationship is quite a different matter!  When God says he "hates" something, he means he has an aversion to it so strongly because...

Did you ever stop to consider what it is you truly love?  It is probably easier for you to make a list of what it is you truly hate!  I don't like brussel sprouts, but I wouldn't say I "hate" them.  I don't like liver - I think I could say I definitely don't like lamb - and I think I could even say I don't like lightening storms - but I cannot truly say I "hate" any of these.  Hate is a strong word - one which I discouraged my kids from using as they were growing up.  In reality, when we are saying we "hate" something, we are stating we almost have a hostility toward it.  In describing the food items and types of storms I don't really like, I am really saying I have a little aversion to their taste or their effect.  I am not saying I have such a strong repulsion to them that I loathe them.  I suppose I could eat brussel sprouts - but honestly, you'd have to give me a really good reason to eat liver!  I wonder how many times we r...