Bible Snack #21

But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 John 2:11).
 
Why is God so hung up on darkness? Look. He used the word three times in one sentence. In the Bible repetition indicates importance, not a lack of vocabulary.
 
Notice the two results of darkness. 1) Not knowing where one is going. 2) Not seeing because of blinded eyes. The one reason for the darkness is hatred of one’s brother. John is not talking about our birth family members; he’s telling us not to hate our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
It grieves my heart when my children display hateful behavior to one another. My son has been rather mean to my daughter. As a result, she avoids him. And me? I’m stuck in the middle.
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​I’d much rather have a big, happy family where everyone takes care of everyone else, and everybody’s needs are equally met. So I think I know how God feels when His kids are hateful to each other.
 
God didn’t create life so that evil would draw us to the light. He created life so that love would draw us to the light, and evil would draw us to the darkness.
 
It’s when we love each other that the world becomes jealous and wants what we’ve got.
 
Anybody can hate. It’s the easiest thing in the world. But love? Love takes action and isn’t easy at all. However, it feels the best because when we love, we know where we are going, and we see things clearly.
 
Choose love. Put it to work in your life. Pray for the unlovable in your life and love them anyway. Your love just might change them to be loving people.