Wed., 11/8/17 Devotion (Ps. 139:21-22)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 139:21 & 22, where we read these words:

"Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my ene-mies."

These highly-politically-incorrect verses (above) are often ignored or abused. David hated God’s enemies precisely because he (David) loved his God so much. Christians are to emulate David’s attitude in the way our Heavenly Father would have us do so: we are to *both* love *and* hate His foes at the same time. We hate them for their detestation of our Savior, His church, and His gospel; but we love them because they are created in the image of God, (and we sincerely desire their eternal salvation in Christ). At one time all of us regenerated churchmen were adamant haters of God. Now, we love Him in Christ.

It is not good enough for us to use the old unbiblical adage: "Love the sinner/
Hate the sin." God would have us get much more personal and passionate than that—even as He Himself does.

[Puritan quote of the day: "He who does not know the evil of sin as fully as he ought cannot hate it as much as he should.” —Nathaniel Vincent, in, "A Dis-course concerning Love"]