Love is Stronger Than Hate

You know I don't have TV, haven't had it for a long time and don't watch the news. So I don't keep abreast of everything that is going on all the time. I used to. Watch the news, listen to the news on the radio, read the newspaper, and online news sites. But I came to a certain point when I realized that it was doing my spiritual and emotional health more harm than good. So I cut it out of my life. I am not ignorant of what is going on, but I also am not constantly bombarded by the world's messages and what they want me to worry about all the time.

But I was at a friends house recently. He is elderly and diagnosed with dementia and needs care, so my wife and I have been providing a certain amount of care for him on the weekends. He is old-school, has Direct TV and watches a lot of TV. While at his place I noticed the constant bombardment of insurance commercials, prescription drug commercials, and what seem to be pure propaganda commercials. One was showing "Asian Americans' while they sternly looked into the camera and were telling people to stop Asian hate. Is that really a thing? Or is it being manufactured to stir up feelings of contention and distrust?

Whatever the case may be I thought of the stark contrast between the way the world deals with problems, hatred and prejudice, and the way the Christ taught his followers to deal with it by the way he lived his life.

Jesus told his followers that they would stick out as different because they would be united by love. And that they were to show that love to the world. This love flows from the heavenly throne of Jehovah God himself. We feel God's love for us by the fact that he sent his only-begotten son, his very best, as a ransom for our sins so that we might have hope of everlasting life.

We feel God's love when we read his word in faith, and he communicates it with us, answering our prayers, and reassuring us with his promises.

Jesus had to deal with a society filled with prejudice and hatred. By the time he came to the earth that is what the Jewish culture had become. They put huge importance of power, stature, your standing in society. They looked down on the illiterate, the less fortunate, the poor. They scorned foreigners and women. In fact things were so bad in the Jewish culture that when Jesus approaches a Samaritan woman and asked her for water she was amazed that he, a male Jew, would approach her, a female Samaritan and talk to her.:

"A woman of Sa·marʹi·a came to draw water. Jesus said to her: “Give me a drink.”  (For his disciples had gone off into the city to buy food.)  So the Sa·marʹi·tan woman said to him: “How is it that you, despite being a Jew, ask me for a drink even though I am a Sa·marʹi·tan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Sa·marʹi·tans.)"-John 4:7-9.

The Jews had such a hatred and prejudice against Samaritans that there was a saying that they would rather eat with the pigs than to socialize with a Samaritan. And Jews looked down upon women in general. But Jesus did not do that way. He did not show prejudice toward people who were of a different race or culture. And he certainly did not look down on a person because of their gender. In fact if you read the Bible account he afforded women many special privileges he did not give the men. And he had among his followers many women whom considers him a dear friend.

For example did you know that Jesus did not openly reveal that he was the Christ, the Messiah sent by God to anyone openly before it was to this woman? Yes, this looked down upon and prejudiced woman by the Jews received the privilege of having the Christ, the son of God reveal he was the Messiah to her, the first person he did so to:

"The woman said to him: “I know that Mes·siʹah is coming, who is called Christ. Whenever that one comes, he will declare all things to us openly.”  Jesus said to her: “I am he, the one speaking to you.”-John 4:25, 26.

Even Jesus' apostles had the culture of being prominent, a matuistic society where being number 1 and having authority was of greatest importance, and they often fought over who was greater. But Jesus told them:

"Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly One.  Neither be called leaders, for your Leader is one, the Christ.  But the greatest one among you must be your minister.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."-Matthew 23:9-12.

Even on the night before he was to be put to death his apostles were arguing about who was the greatest. And Jesus instead of chiding them or scolding them, or losing patience, he patiently gave them an abject lesson. It was the custom in those days to wash the feet of your guests. Well none of the apostles were humble enough to wash the feet of their fellow apostles. But Jesus observing them arguing about who was the greatest among them entered in and humbly set the example by washing their feet.

When Jesus died he did so with a quiet dignity. I really love this scripture it says:

"When he was being insulted, he did not insult in return. When he was suffering, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the One who judges righteously. 24 He himself bore our sins in his own body on the stake, so that we might die to sins and live to righteousness. And “by his wounds you were healed.”-1 Peter 2:23, 24.

You get the import of that? What does the world do these days? Isn't it all about getting revenge? Jesus was not that way. When he was insulted, when they were mocking him at his illegal trial that he was the Christ, and they would spit in his face, or slap his face, or hit him, or mockingly say insulting things, what did he do in turn? Did he say, "I am going to get even with you!?" No. He quietly and patiently bore the persecution. When he was threatened he did not threaten in return.

And when hung on the torture stake and was abandoned and dying he prayed for those putting him to death asking God to forgive them.

You see Jesus' love was greater than any hatred. And he taught us how to love. He taught us what it really means to be a good person. To have respect for all people. To cherish women the same as men. Not to look down upon others because of their race or religion or culture or age or gender. He taught us that the greatest among us is the minister, the one that serves the others. He taught us to bear up under tribulation. He taught us to be quiet when being reviled. To return evil for evil to no one. To love those persecuting us.

In fact we are told:

"For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."-Hebrews 12:2.

Jesus even while undergoing the greatest injustices ever heaped upon a human, and the greatest suffering of any human despised shame. That is he did not allow the wicked world to get him to feel bad or dejected. He knew what the reward would be, and with a deep-seated joy he endured with faith knowing he would sit down at his Father's right hand and be given the kingdom which would bring blessings to all obedient humankind.

So is the account of Jesus just another story in an old book? No. It is of the son of God. And he taught us the real way to live. And showed us that love is so much stronger than hatred.

Do not hate. Do not let Satan's world mold you into its way of thinking. Rather follow the real example set for all humankind. That of Jesus Christ.

a reply to: MidnightHawk

I believe love is the strongest emotion we experience. Love can blind eyes, love can make the rational act irrationally. Love can undo damage done by hate. Love can be a blessing and at times appear as a cursing.

After my last relationship fell through, I decided to spread my love everywhere and try to be as compassionate with people as I possibly can be, easier said than done though.

People are different, some people have strong emotions, some have weak emotions, some show no sign of life.

I met a man that said he did not listen to music... Imagine what's going on in his head...

Here's to love

a reply to: MidnightHawk

Hate and Love come from the same place in our brains. The putamen and the insula. The one is very similar to the other. You say it is stronger because you are a preacher of the gospel of christ. That doesn't make it so. There obviously many who believe hate is stronger than love.

Angry is good, it gets stuff done.

a reply to: Specimen88
Anger and hate are two different things.

What exactly is HATE, for me it is an aversion so maybe, just maybe I don't have the emotion of Hate itself in my nature.

I have always interpreted it to be aversion to something, guarding against it, driving it away, for me Evil and Hate are pretty much the same thing.

For me Love is Not Lust, it is not covetousness and it is absolute loyalty to those you love.

Jealousy has two meanings, there is the jealous guarding of your own that is not the green eyed jealousy but a protective overshadowing protectiveness of those you love, but Jealousy of others, not sure I feel that either but for me I have always interpreted it to mean when you feel inferior to someone, they are better looking or you wish you were like them, wanting what they have, no not me I want to have the same as but my own spin on it so NOT what they have.

Love build's, it protects, it heals, it shelters, it cloths and it makes beautiful but hate as far as I can see is vile, corruption, disease of the mind and I can not understand how any being can have both within themselves, hate is evil plain and simple.

I would say I hate the devil but not sure if that counts as my hate of that creature is that I reject it as utterly as I can and try to protect against it.

Anger is followed by remorse, Hate is cruelty, evil, enjoying another's suffering and feeling powerful, how can those with such different natures have the same origin, they can not those ruled by hate if it is an actual emotion must be children of the devil, those ruled by compassion, empathy, love, care even if they fail to live up these things must be children of God.

But we are all so mixed that many may have both natures within themselves, it must be an endless war inside there own spirit.

When I use hate to describe something it is reference to my rejection of it, my wish for it to be gone, I hate cruelty, I hate maliciousness, I hate the Evil kind of Jealousy the one that would have seen the babe cut in two, I hate child abuse and if I do hate any thing then I hate the idea of Child Abusers as they are not human in my mind but predators that circle the young of the human race and prey upon them, is that hate the wish that such creatures did not exist, that such creatures should be cast from the human race and never again allowed to be among people.

I get angry a lot and sometimes say things I don't mean, I regret them afterwards and feel remorse for my anger and thank God I have not hurt anyone though my anger in my life though I nearly did once.

We are all different, we are all wired differently.

a reply to: MidnightHawk

What a Lovely Post.

Thank you for sharing this gem with us.

This love flows from the heavenly throne of Jehovah God himself.

It is important to distinguish the source of that love from the minds love....

“Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love Him as they love a cow - for the milk and cheese and profit it brings them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly love God, when they love Him for their own advantage. ”
― Meister Eckhart

a reply to: glend

1 John 5:2,3

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and carry out his commandments. 3 For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome,

Genuine love of God makes you want to carry out his commandments, and then do so (it moves one to action). As Jesus, who was communicating God's commandments to mankind, said: “If anyone loves me, he will observe my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (John 14:23)

Love is not just a feeling; nor is it a matter of mere words. True love for God involves more than simply saying, “I love Jehovah.” Like faith, genuine love is defined and characterized by the actions it prompts. (James 2:26) Specifically, love expresses itself in deeds pleasing to the one who is loved.

John explains what the love of God means: “We observe his commandments.” What are God’s commandments? Jehovah gives us a number of specific commands through his Word, the Bible. For example, he forbids such practices as drunkenness, sexual immorality, idolatry, stealing, and lying. (1 Corinthians 5:11; 6:18; 10:14; Ephesians 4:28; Colossians 3:9) Observing God’s commandments involves living in harmony with the Bible’s clear moral standards.

“And by this we have the knowledge that we have come to know him, namely, if we continue observing his commandments.”​—1 John 2:3.

We also need to continue to carry out the commandments of God. If a person continues to do the same thing, in time it becomes a habit with him, something he does regularly. He does not do it now, and forget it later. We could say that he practices that “something” habitually, whatever it may be. So it becomes a way of life to him, something that he does without thought of discontinuing in the future.

So it is with those who observe the commandments of God. They continue in this course day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out, knowing that this is a requirement of God. The point of all of this is that the only way truly to ‘come to know him,’ that is, Jehovah, is by always observing what he wants us to do. This does not allow for serving him only when we feel like it, when it does not interfere with anything else that we think is of greater importance. This constancy is what is embodied in the expressions “practicing the truth” and ‘continuing to observe his commandments.’

PRACTICING THE TRUTH PUBLICLY

One of the outstanding characteristics of the first-century Christians was their public declaration of the good news. We read of Jesus going throughout the whole of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and preaching the good news of the Kingdom. (Matt. 4:23) He preached and taught in the mountains, among the people along the seashore, in the homes of interested ones, anywhere and everywhere that there proved to be people with whom to speak. To the twelve that he was specially training he said: “Go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’” When the twelve had their instructions, he sent them out to the cities to teach and to preach.​—Matt. 10:5-10.

It is but reasonable, then, that the Christians of the 21st century would be doing the same. Somewhere along the line it is evident that the vast majority of those in Christendom, instead of being “doers of the word,” have become hearers only, doing nothing themselves to practice the truth by spreading the Word of the truth. But among Jehovah’s Christian witnesses we find “doers of the word.” They realize that to be like Jesus they must share in telling others the good news of the Kingdom. It is their commission just as it was the commission of Jesus and those of the early Christian congregation. The Bible record tells us: “He that says he remains in union with him is under obligation himself also to go on walking just as that one walked.”​—Jas. 1:22; 1 John 2:6.


CHAPTER 1 “This Is What the Love of God Means” (“Keep Yourselves in God’s Love”)

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How does Jehovah feel about our willing obedience? His Word says that we thereby make his “heart rejoice.” (Proverbs 27:11) Does our obedience really bring joy to the heart of the Sovereign Lord of the universe? Indeed, it does​—and for good reason! Jehovah created us as free moral agents. This means that we have freedom of choice; we can choose to obey God, or we can choose to disobey him. (Deuteronomy 30:15, 16, 19, 20) When we willingly choose to obey Jehovah and when the motivating force behind that decision is a heart full of love for God, we bring great pleasure and joy to our heavenly Father. (Proverbs 11:20) We are also choosing the best way of life.

“HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT BURDENSOME”

The apostle John tells us something very reassuring about Jehovah’s requirements: “His commandments are not burdensome.” The Greek word translated “burdensome” at 1 John 5:3 literally means “heavy.” * Another Bible translation here reads: “His commandments do not weigh us down.” (New English Translation) Jehovah’s requirements are not unreasonable or oppressive. His laws are not beyond the ability of imperfect humans to obey. [*: At Matthew 23:4, this word is used to describe the “heavy loads,” the minute rules and man-made traditions that the scribes and Pharisees put upon the common people. The same word is rendered “oppressive” at Acts 20:29, 30 and refers to heavy-handed apostates who would “speak twisted things” and seek to mislead others.]

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Jehovah’s commandments are far from being burdensome; they are for our greatest good. (Read Isaiah 48:17.) Moses could thus tell Israel of old: “Jehovah commanded us to carry out all these regulations and to fear Jehovah our God for our lasting good, so that we could keep alive, as we are today.” (Deuteronomy 6:24) We too can be confident that in giving us his laws, Jehovah has our best interests at heart​—our long-term, everlasting welfare. Really, how could it be otherwise? Jehovah is a God of infinite wisdom. (Romans 11:33) He therefore knows what is best for us. Jehovah is also the personification of love. (1 John 4:8) Love, his very essence, influences everything he says and does. It is the basis for all the commandments that he places upon his servants.

This is not to say that obedience to God is an easy course to follow. We must fight against the influences of this debased world, which “is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) We must also contend with the imperfect flesh, which inclines us toward violating God’s laws. (Romans 7:21-25) But our love for God can win out. Jehovah blesses those who want to prove their love for him by their obedience. He gives his holy spirit “to those obeying him as ruler.” (Acts 5:32) That spirit produces beautiful fruitage in us​—precious qualities that can aid us in pursuing an obedient course.​—Galatians 5:22, 23.

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a reply to: whereislogic

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and carry out his commandments. 3 For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome,
1 John 5:2,3

The KJV version does not use the word "means" which changes the intent....

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

Be mindful that is says "love of God" not "love for God"

The "Love of God" is a spiritual love that is distinct from mind. Our minds are incapable of absolute love for the world but Gods spiritual love is boundless. The love of God loves all the children of God unconditionally.

So if we do not possess that unconditional love for the world then we know that we don't love God with the love of God.

If we see God as Love, then the aim should be to immerse ourself in that love. The great difficulty being that we cannot immerse ourself into that spiritual love without conquering the false loves of our mind (Parable of the Pearl).

Luke 13:24 explains “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.". So obviously following easy commandments with our mind will not give us automatic entry through the narrow door. Matthew 7:21-23 further explains that Jesus will say I never knew you.