June 22, 2015 (Monday)
“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31).
Nelson Mandella, in his book, Long Walk to Freedom, wrote:
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.
The Apostle Paul told us, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians 5:19-26 NIV).
The Carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” contains words that are relevant to our present day as we grieve once again over senseless murders that have their root in the sinful heart of man given over to hatred. The song bemoans spiritual darkness: “Hate is strong and mocks the song of ‘peace on earth, goodwill to men.'” Then, in a burst of joyous victory, it shouts, “The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men.”
Our hymn, “When we all get to Heaven,” gives us these wonderful words: “When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!” Love shall ultimately conquer hatred. Paul wrote, “And now abides faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).