Mensa Otabil - Hatred Blinds
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First John chapter 2, verse 11: 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. Hatred blinds our eyes; it blinds us to all the good things that God is doing around us. It blinds us to the mercy of God and to the favor of God. If a Christian walks in the light, he is in fellowship with God and now sees all the blessings that God has for us.
One of the ways that we express the love of God and walk in the light with other Christians is in the local church. That is why we go to church. We go to church, of course, to worship God and to praise Him, but we also go to fellowship with other believers. We don’t just go to church to be by ourselves. While Christianity can be lived in solitude, then you only love yourself. You don’t have the opportunity to express love to anyone else. So if all your Christianity is just you alone, you and your God, then you’re not walking in the light. You go to church; you have the opportunity to relate to God and to your fellow believers because our relationship with God is vertical; that means it goes up, it is upward. It is also horizontal; it goes to the side and relates to other people.
That is what Christianity is. When we relate to people, we express God’s love to them. When we go to church, there are things we do: we sing, we dance, we worship, we praise, and we hear the Word of God preached. Those are all great, but you also have to be in fellowship with other people. That is why a Christian must not live an isolated life. You can hear the Word of God preached, but that is not the end of it. You must fellowship with other Christians to walk in the light, and if you don’t do that, your Christianity is not complete.
So when we go to church, we have the opportunity to practice Christ’s commandment to love, and that is why you go to church. If you are in a church and you are part of the church department, whether you’re in the choir or in some wing of the church, somebody is going to hurt you sooner or later. Somebody is going to offend you. You’re going to meet someone you don’t like. You’re going to meet a church person or a friend that you don’t like who is in church with you. So how are you going to handle it? That is the place where Christ manifests in us, where we show that yes, we are human in the world, but we are God’s people, and we have the capacity to forgive people, to walk in love with them, to be kind toward them, to be generous toward them, and to be gracious toward them.
So don’t just practice the words of our Christianity; we must also practice the acts of our Christianity-the things that we do. John is saying that when we fail to do that, the enemy blinds our eyes with hatred. When we’re blinded, we don’t see all the magnificent things God is doing. God can place a blessing in front of you, and you wouldn’t see it because you’re blinded by hatred. Maybe the person you hate is the one God wants to use to bless you. Perhaps the thing you don’t like is the thing that God is going to use to touch your heart. So if you allow hatred to blind you, you don’t even see the divine opportunities that God is opening for you. You don’t see the divine connections that God is placing in your life, and many of us hate the channels that God wants to use to bless us.
We go to church, and even in our weakness, we say, «Lord, I don’t know how to love these people. Help me to do it,» and He will help you so that you can walk in the light and see all the great things God has for you. May your eyes be open to the magnificent blessings that God has for you, not only in the coming week but throughout your life. May you experience the divine power of God.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, thank You for making me a part of Your church. Help me to love the brethren as You love them. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. Go to church; go to church. Don’t just listen to a broadcast; go to church and fellowship with other believers so that you can walk in the light and see all the goodness that God has for you. I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.