Walk of Life, Day 10 – September 2020- Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 10:18 “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander is a fool.”
A farmer had tied a sheep and a pig to a stick. There was a mud pit at a distance from the pig and a pasture at a distance from the sheep. The farmer was feeding both the animals equally. Both the animals are trying their best to get what they want. If the pig won, it would take the sheep along with it into the mud. Likewise, if the sheep won, it would take the pig along with it to the pasture. What should the man do if he wants to make the sheep win? Obviously, he should stop feeding the pig.
In every human being, there is both a sheep and a pig. The sheep stands for good and the pig for evil. We were born in sin, we are surely not born saints. Even after being born again, the presence of sin is still there. Salvation is a daily process. Day by day we keep growing into the form of Christ as Christ works in us. We cannot deny that there are still few sins left as a residue in us with which we struggle every day. The Spirit of the Lord helps us in our infirmities and teaches us to be victorious when we depend on Him.
Hatred is one such quality. In Sunday School there is a song in Telugu which says, ‘Jealousy gives rise to hatred, Hatred gives rise to anger, Anger gives rise to sin, Sin gives rise to death.’ The little jealousy leads to spiritual death, that is permanent detachment from the Lord Jesus Christ. When we read the above verses of the song, we are reminded of the first murderer in the Holy Bible. Cain was jealous of his brother Abel; he developed a kind of hatred towards his brother. He could not stand when he saw his brother’s well-being. He killed him. Thus, Cain became a murderer.
In these modern days, we find modern Cains among us. They do not physically harm people but they use their wit in troubling the people whom they are jealous about. Mostly carnal minded people follow this path. They cannot see another person happy. They feel jealous but still they pretend to be nice. They start discouraging that person and try to find faults always. They try to ruin that person’s reputation by spreading false rumors.
My dear friend, today examine yourself if you are having any feeling of hatred towards anyone, try to know the reason behind it. It will surely be something that you do not like in that person. Ask the Lord to remove that hatred from you. You will not know when this hatred will lead you to your spiritual death. So be careful. Our God is love (1 John 4:8). When we give ourselves to Him, He will fill us with love. The divine agape love is one that covereth the sins of our brother. Fools are they that nurture hatred, lies, and a rumor-spreading tongue. They do this to meet their end. When you are being troubled by these fools, do not worry and react. Wait for the Lord to take over. They can harm your body but not your soul which is more precious. Feed the good in you and let the evil starve.
