For generations the enemy has confused and dumbfounded folks on the issue of love so much that it’s easy to see the hatred some harbor for others and the contempt they feel for people they don’t even know. Hatred is a poisonous concoction that manifest from the inside out. Hatred produces radioactive carcinogens that eats away at our spirits, hearts, and minds. The Scriptures tell us not to let a “root of bitterness” spring up in our hearts (Hebrews 12:15). Hatred also destroys the personal witness of a Christian because it removes him from fellowship with the Lord and other believers. The cliché “hate the sin, love the sinner” has accumulated its share of criticism in both mainstream American society and within churches. Greg Morse of Desiring God phrased it differently; “We love the sinner by hating his sin.” Morse continued to say, “We hate our own sin, first and foremost, and we take others’ sin seriously because we take their eternal good seriously. We do not wound to cause harm. We wound as the Almighty does: to bind up and heal.” You can’t hate people and love God at the same time! I John 4:20 reminds us that, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” God knew you before you knew you. And He loved you anyway in spite of what He knew about you. As incredibly generous as that sounds, it’s true. It’s called love. God’s point is so simple. If He got love for you, the least you can do is reciprocate that love to others. As it stands, the key to God’s heart is found in the heart of God’s people!