You don’t wonder at the deep shock and sadness, even outrage and horror, that gripped our nation when the awful riots and destruction took place, which affected many parts of our country recently. The attack and cruel murder of little girls in Southport caused bitter grief and many tears to those who were affected and to many of us, far and near, who felt the tragedy of it. How unbelievable it is that such grief was overtaken by rioting and senseless destruction fuelled by misinformation and lies spread by peddlers of hate.
Wider society had to pay a high price for the wickedness of others. Controlling it and then cleaning up the mess used resources that could have benefitted the society that is still suffering in many places.
Hatred is volatile and unpredictable. You have probably seen it yourself. It can lead to so much damage and loss. Love is the opposite. Hatred wants to hurt and destroy. Love wants to protect and give unselfishly, not to be confused with lust, which selfishly wants to seize and get.
The Bible tells us that God is love—that is His very nature. But God hates certain things because of the harm they do. For example, in the Book of Proverbs, chapter 6, we are told of seven things the Lord hates, the last of which is “sowing discord among others.” It's sad to say that we’ve just seen that in action.
We know that a God of love must hate evil. He hates the wrong things we do and our sins but still loves us deeply. In fact, He loves us all so much that He gave His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins on a cruel cross so that we might be forgiven and saved forever from their consequences. By putting your faith in Him, you can receive the gift of salvation He offers you now.
Written by a guest blogger
All photos courtesy of Unsplash
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