The words of God always speak truthfully and with clarity. When properly understood and applied, God’s word brings wisdom, understanding and even grace and compassion into our hearts.
For these characteristics of God’s word to live inside us, requires proper faith. It requires a sincere willingness to place aside personal issues to seek truth and to experience what God deems necessary to teach us. Believing is not enough because by belief alone, God’s word does not reside inside us, but belief alone provides the needed catalyst to obtain God’s word spiritually.
Having said this, how does the above quote apply or how is it understood? It applies as follows, “How can you have respect for something when you hold issue against it?”
In the scriptures God says that if someone claims to love God, yet hate his brother, that person has lied (1 John 4:20). In other words, that person does not truly love God despite all the beliefs that person has. The moment they hate their brother, which also includes to hate their neighbour, they cannot love God, because God is love to all people, whether brother or neighbor. This is seen in God’s second commandment to love thy neighbour as thyself.
To apply this in life, the basic tenant of this truth is as follows, “To love or respect something, that person cannot also hate or have issue against it”. Another scripture from God supporting this concept is the scripture that says a person cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:13), he will love one and hate the other or will hold to one and despise the other.
To understand God’s word, a person must understand the nature of human emotion and understand the basic elements of emotion. From the word “hate”, the basic elements of action from hate is separation, division, contrary or against, rejection and denial. The basic elements of emotion from hate is fear, despisement, anger and resentment. When a person carries these elements toward any thing or any person, they cannot have love or respect, they can only have the negative elements I have listed.
It then says that a person who claims to respect all religions, yet holds issue against religion as a whole, cannot have true respect. They will love or hold to one and despise or hate the other. Which master are they serving when they hold issue against a person, people or thing and claim to have respect when they adhere to the contrary elements.
We either serve love, respect and understanding or we serve anger, hate, disrespect and denial. We cannot have both in our hearts. Does God’s word speak further on this point of what we truly carry in our heart?
Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.Proverbs 26:25
When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.2 Corinthians 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
God has always spoken about our hearts. He spoke these truths from as far back as the Old Testament times. The latter scripture of Luke 6:45 also addresses the scriptures Matthew 7:18 & 3 Nephi 14:17, a corrupted tree cannot bring forth good fruit.
Respect, love, understanding, temperance, patience, all these are good fruits of the spirit and these cannot come forth when a person carries contrary elements in their heart toward something or someone. Allow me to use examples.
A person has issue against religion in general and has chosen to take their beliefs toward a spiritualism or New Age style of belief. This person then claims to hold the good things of religion or the scriptures, but denies, has issue against, despises, having anger or rejection against religion and the word of God in general. When this person says they respect all religions, they are not speaking the truth, even though they firmly believe what they say. IN their hearts are the elements of hate or despisement, not love toward the thing called religion. It matters not the reason they may have, even if what they experienced when younger was bad; the hurt, pain or fear developed into a form of hate and they have chosen to remove themselves. On the basis of this denial in act and emotion, they chose things contrary to religion.
The truth is seen from what emanates from their heart when they face any challenge. This means that challenge to their beliefs and claims will bring out their true nature, which is what emanates from their heart. If in their heart they carry fear, anger, resentment, hate or denial toward any one thing, that is what will come out when challenged to face that same thing.
A person who has serious issue against religion, when challenged by circumstance on that subject or topic, what is in their heart will come out. What is in their heart is their true stance and position on that thing. This will be their true nature and the truth of what they do and how they choose and act in the face of it.
Knowing this brings understanding about human behaviour, to truly know what is the truth is also the ability to recognize it in action and how it applies in life. Hence the words from Christ that his words are spiritual and they are life. The life to mean spiritual life with God as well as the application of life itself.
This goes further when applied properly. A person cannot be loyal to someone or something which they reject or hate. A person cannot be supportive for the same reasons. A person cannot be honest either, because honesty is integrity and integrity requires respect and respect requires love.
A person can appear nice and good when circumstances allow it, but when faced in a challenge that triggers their contrary feelings against something or someone, what they are against will be the truth of where they stand. Where they stand is what they “treasure”, and what they treasure in their hearts (means hold onto), they will take into any relationship. A person cannot be truly loyal when what they despise or carry issue about causes them to be disloyal. This applies in all forms of relationships.
To truly love God, is to follow his commandments and teachings. We are to ensure that we recognize our issues and shortcomings and control them as we abide in God’s word in our lives. If a person does not face their personal demons, to rid of them to allow more love to enter their hearts, they are then expected to control these inward demons and chose and do the right (CTR) at all times.
God gave his instruction and commandments for a good reason. It is the only way we can move to change our hearts and truly respect and love each other and our neighbours, no matter their religion.
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