Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear.”1 As I reflected on this quote my mind quickly ran to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus said: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44).
In the natural this command from Jesus is impossible to carry out, but thankfully as Christians we are supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey this Scripture verse. Not only should we obey (Matthew 5:44), because it brings glory to God, but I have learned over the years as a Christian, that when I obey the difficult sayings of Jesus, it’s for my own good.
No book in the Bible has more injunctions for us to obey the Lord than Deuteronomy. But what is really exciting is that no book gives more verses telling us that this obedience is for our good! Consider these verses:
“So, you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, so that it may go well for you and for your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” (Deuteronomy 4:40).
“If only they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it would go well with them and with their sons forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
“So, the Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our own good always and for our survival, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 6:24).
“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land into which you are about to cross to possess it.” (Deuteronomy 11:8).
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
And there is more. God wants us to obey Him because He wants to shower us with His manifold blessings which He constantly has in store for us. We have always been taught that obedience can be a drag, a chore, and no fun. However, when we obey the Creator of the universe it becomes an exciting challenge, and a great joy to know obedience brings blessings, and it’s most of all pleasing to God.
My friends, hate, God knows, is a very powerful negative emotion that brings with it many negative consequences. For example, when you hate people it causes negative energy to pulsate throughout your whole body and if you maintain this attitude toward people you will over weeks, months, and years cause all kinds of negative health effects, from high blood pressure and stomach ulcers, to digestive issues, and even cancer. Hating people will make your prayer life ineffective, for we read in (Psalm 66:18): “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” When we hate people our sweet fellowship with the Lord and Christian joy will also vanish. So, our health will go, our prayer life will be ineffective, our joy will vanish, and most of all we will bring dishonor to our Lord. And what do we gain by hating others – a big fat zero.
But look what happens when we take Martin Luther King’s advice and stick with love. First, and foremost, we are obeying God and this puts a smile on the face of Jesus. Second, those who share love instead of hate will emanate positive energy throughout their whole body, which will prove health to their bones and provide joy in their heart. Third, love will help our prayer life as God see how serious we are to put into practice His greatest commandment. And fourth, when love is greater than hate we put the devil on notice that we will not give in to his schemes and send him packing.
Not only that but I believe when we love those who are our enemies we will see God work in amazing ways to touch the heart of those who won’t know why they are being treated with so much love. This allows us to demonstrate the love of Christ and hopefully to share the gospel if that person isn’t a believer.
In summary, when love is greater than hate, God gets the glory, we get the joy, the devil gets a black eye, and we get to rid ourselves of the tremendous burden and baggage that a hateful spirit brings with it. So Christian, let’s stick with love!
1 Quote by Martin Luther King Jr.: “I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too g…”