Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Throughout of lives watching sports with our Dads, we were taught to hate certain players. If you were a Lakers fan, you hated Larry Bird. If you were a Celtics fan, you despised James Worthy and those goggles. Similarly, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Tom Brady, and Christian Laettner are in this engrained love/hate mentality. We have this same good vs evil list on the PGA Tour. There is a dislike for JB Holmes because of his slow play, Patrick Reed because of his arrogance, and Ian Poulter because of his “Europeness”. We don’t know any of these athletes personally, yet we have a preconceived hate or love for them. Unfortunately, many of us grew up in a culture in which we were taught to hate based upon social status, criminal background, economic status, family history, race, or maybe sexual orientation. Our God is clear about the most important commandments. They all involve love! If you have love, you won’t commit adultery, murder, or theft. Nowhere in the Bible does God teach the hate of anyone, even those who mocked and led him to the cross.

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34

Let all your things be done with charity. 1 Corinthians 16:14

He may hate the person’s actions or state of sin, but He never hated the person. Love is something the world needs more than anything that a politician can promise. Unless we love, we will never be effective witnesses for Christ. Most importantly, unless we love the unloveable deemed by society, we will never fully comprehend the magnitude of Christ dying for our sins while yet we were still sinners. My prayer is for love – not only toward those easy to love like family and friends, but also love for those living a lifestyle I may disagree with or who is out of a relationship with Christ.