Love Must Be Sincere

Love Must Be Sincere

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."
Romans 12:9

One of the things I remember when I devoted my heart to God, was the removal of all bitterness and anger from my life, which was replaced with a love I had not known before. All the bitterness and anger I had built up over the years, just began to dissolve and fade away. If we claim to be followers of Christ, and harbor bitterness or hatred in our hearts toward someone, there is something very wrong. The Bible is very plain as it states that if we have hatred in our hearts toward anyone there is something wrong in our spiritual lives. If someone has wronged or hurt you, you must forgive them, love them and pray for them. You are not to take any revenge against them in any way, but to love them with a sincere heart. The reason you are to wipe away any bitterness, is that any bitterness and hatred will do more harm to you, than the person to whom you are directing it. It will eat you up inside, and destroy your life. It will also hinder you building a closer relationship with God. It will, for all practical purposes, act as an obstacle in the relationship God wants to have with you. There is no room for hatred, bitterness. prejudice, or anger against someone, in the heart of a child of God. God wants our love to be honest, sincere, without hypocrisy, and true. If you are holding any bitterness or anger against someone today, ask God to help you release this, to wipe it away and cleanse your heart, to make you free from this chain that keeps you from a closer relationship with Him. Replace this bitterness and anger with the kind of love that God has for you.
My Daily Devotional Volume V
December 15
Robert William Brock, Jr.