Hatred and Slander
There are some terrible things that we are tempted to do, aren't there? I could make a long list, but we don't have time here. I will just focus in on hatred and slander. Hatred is the very opposite of what God would have us to do. We must never succumb to the temptation from the flesh to hate another person. God wants us to love others. Also, in much the same way we are tempted to slander others by saying things that are not true to harm them. God wants us to tell the truth and edify others. The writer of Proverbs takes these two sins even farther to show us how destructive they can be to us. (Proverbs 10:18) "Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool." I don't think most of us want to be known as liars and fools. However, I have observed many people who are trying to hide their hatred for others, and I have seen many people engage in slander. In both cases they are bringing negative consequences on themselves. Hatred is terrible enough,...