Hate can be powerful
And one of the misnomers about Christianity
is that we are not to hate
Yet Jesus tells us we are
to hate those closest to us if we are to follow Him!
{14:25} ..., {14:26} If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. {14:27} And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. .... {14:33} So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:25-33
Anything that gets between you and Jesus
Must become an object of hate
In order for you to come to Him fully
It is a requirement of love
It doesn't have to be a person
that stands between you and the Lord
It could be some desire you have
Sex, drugs, smoking, eating, drinking
Or some hobby you worship
Golf, fishing, bridge
Whatever it is if you don't hate it
It will prevent you from having the intimate relationship
It will stand as a barrier between you and Jesus
In that place you can not be His disciple
Somehow we need to see how these things separate us from Christ
And we have to come to hate them for that separation
But first we have to see what separates us
If you want the overwhelming intimacy with God
You must do this
You must be willing to hate
Anything and everything that comes in between
And that includes service to the church!
Once you have that intimacy
You will know the peace that transcends understanding
You will have the love that is beyond words
You will be one with Christ
To love Jesus
We must hate anything that stands in the way of that love
Then will you be made His disciple
What do you need to learn to hate?
![[pulsating cross]](astar2.gif)
