Unforgiveness and Hate
Ephesians 4:31-32 [31] Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: [32] And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. One of the most destructive attitudes for a Christian is hate. Think about it. How well can the saving light of Jesus Christ shine in a life that is totally covered in hatred, anger, or rage? And what picture of Christ does this type of person show to the unbelieving world? Hate is a total breakdown in the Christlike attitude we're called to exhibit. But even in churches, it's not hard to find individuals boiling over with hostility. Where does it come from? One of the key reasons believers can be prone to hatred is the inability to forgive those who caused them an undeserved hurt. Let's take a "hate test." Think about someone who hurt you in the past, and consider these three "heart checks." Fi...