Topic: Love, Not Hatred [Saturday April 29, 2017]
Text: 1 Samuel 20:24-34
Key Verse: “And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David” (1 Samuel 20:33).
Being loved is the second-best thing in the world, while loving someone is the best. When you love, you do yourself a favour because you open the floodgates of love from others to you. Hatred or a feeling of revenge does more harm to the hater than the hated.
This is because the hater bears alone the tearing within, of a deep-seated, untreated wound everywhere he goes. Oh, what needless pain! King Saul, in our text, displayed so much anger as a result of hatred for David that he almost killed his heir-apparent, Jonathan, with a javelin. Saul had been after David’s life since the day the women of Israel sang and attributed ten thousands victory to David and just thousands to him (1 Samuel 18:6-9).
His jealousy and hatred made him forget the victory that God wrought in Israel through David. He so sought David’s life at all costs that he lost his peace of mind and murdered eighty-five priests including men, women and children (1 Samuel 22:6-19). The Scripture is clear on the issue of hatred. “…He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:14,15).
You cannot harbour thoughts of hatred, malice, strive, envy, jealousy, wickedness or vengeance in your heart against anyone and claim to have eternal life at the same time. The love of God in the heart of many Christians today is decreasing because the devil is stealthily gaining access into their minds through a swarm of iniquities that dug the landscape. Examine your life to see if the true love of God still abides in you. Do you still love people sincerely and unconditionally as you used to when you first met the Lord? Christ counsels: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent…”
Thought for the day: Love, a spiritual force transforms an enemy into a friend.
Bible Reading in one Year: 1 Corinthians 12-14
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
