I see and hear this a great deal. It comes from all corners, all faiths and no faith. It’s opinions about God and how they relate to the lives of those around us. Sometimes it’s also about our own lives. Maybe we ought to try some comparison checking.
God hates…er, no. A sentence that starts with “God hates” usually includes a group of people doing things we personally don’t approve of. Let’s set the record straight. God doesn’t hate people. He made it clear. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so whosoever believeth in Him shall have everlasting life.” Does that sound like God hates people?
God hates sin. He still loves the sinner. Mankind has hated various people since Cain slain his brother Abel. In this case, God’s plan is a lot better than man’s.
Sunday is the Sabbath: If you want to get into a religious argument, ask certain denominations of Christians what day is the Sabbath. It can get really testy. If you throw in what we’re allowed to do *on* the Sabbath, it can get even worse. We can take something really nice and throw enough curve balls at it that it is no longer God’s plan but man’s.
Jesus said, “God made the Sabbath for man.” His disciples were hungry and picked heads of wheat as they walked through a field. That was work…they were (horror) harvesting! On the Sabbath!
To really understand the difference you need to know some history. At that point in time there were no mandated days of rest. People…particularly the poor…worked seven days a week fifty-two weeks a year. There were occasional holidays but no regular rest days. God’s law allows man one day in every seven day period off work. God’s plan is a lot better than man’s.
What are God’s rules? They are very simple. Even the Ten Commandments boil down to two rules, and can be summed up in six words. Love God and love your neighbor. It’s that simple, though it isn’t easy to do.
How to apply: Loving God makes loving both your neighbor and yourself possible. Loving God makes you want to do that. Once you love Him, stop and think before you speak or do. Would you want someone to say or do what you’re planning to you? If not, then don’t say or do it.
God loves you. He loves me. He understands we are weak creatures so He has provided forgiveness for us. He sees our needs and fills them…sometimes well before we ever need them. If we can remember these things it might be easier to follow Him and we might not have to rely so heavily on man’s rules.