I John 3:14 – 20 – “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

We stated that we would make suggestions that will help us have an advantage in the workplace, school or at home. Do Christians realize that hate can be a destroyer of most every opportunity? Not only can it become a tremendous disadvantage it can hinder our relationship with God.

I believe Scripture is very clear; no one can take the Holy Spirit from us but can we give Him up? The Bible says the unpardonable sin is rejection of the Holy Spirit. God promises that if we accept Christ, ask for forgiveness and repent of our sins and we get baptized He will seal us with the Holy Spirit. Later we begin deliberately out-and-out sinning and continue to do so. We have allowed money, fame, power or sex become more important than Christ and totally reject the Holy Spirit. Are we not committing the unpardonable sin? And if we are, won’t the Holy Spirit leave and will we not lose our salvation and eternal life in heaven?

What if we are saved and receive the promised Holy Spirit into our lives and then develop a deep hatred for those in our church who disagree with us? Isn’t John telling us that the Holy Spirit will not co-exist with hatred in our hearts? Do we understand what hate can do to us physically?

Have you ever worked with a person who had a hateful heart? It seemed to affect their whole personality. They appear to be negative and never have a good word for anyone or anything. Did their attitude inspire you and make you want to be part of their team? Have you worked with a person who had a truly loving heart? Did you notice a difference between the person who hated and the person who loved? Who had the advantage?

Paul then goes on to define love which is the requirement needed to receive eternal life with Christ. If we want to know what true love is we must follow the example set by Christ. Love requires real sacrifice and a servant’s heart. Laying down our lives may mean giving up our rights. It may mean putting the needs and interests of others before our own. Love develops a heart for sacrificial giving and provides selfless attributes in us. There becomes a desire to serve others without any reciprocal expectations. Would you do your best working for a very confident leader who had the above attributes plus a tremendously humble heart? We are not talking about a leader who is a wimp. He or she can be very stern and demanding but in a gentle and caring way.

There will be times when love requires action. When I was a child neighbors helped neighbors. If a person needed help you dropped what you were doing and went to assist. Love was helping those who found themselves in situations that they had little control over. This kind of love usually will work in the workplace; at least it can be an advantage.

Each of us have different personalities and temperaments. Some will have a guilty conscience no matter how much they do or how much they help others. It will never seem like they do enough and they believe God will hold them responsible. There is a limit as to what is required. Some supervisors may try to manipulate us, placing heavy demands, stating that if we really care, we would do more or work harder. We must be careful not to become enablers. We must develop a discerning spirit and let the Holy Spirit within us, guide us to whom and when we are to truly help others. There will always be those of us who feel we never do enough and other employees or family members who really never do enough. God wants us to have peace and joy in our hearts. He does not want us feeling guilty for the needs of the world, unless we are the president or the needs required of a business, unless we are the owner.

What has the above Scripture taught us? A person who has unconditional love in their hearts will never hate another person. They may hate what they do. We should pray for a spirit of discernment. Who do we help, when do we help and how much do we help? If there is any hate in our heart it must be released immediately. Regardless of what someone may have done to you, don’t let hate destroy your relationship with God or others. As difficult as it may seem, we must develop a loving heart.

The greatest of all commands is to love God with all of our might and others as ourselves. We cannot love with the love Christ teaches with hate in our hearts. Accomplish these two loves and never worry where you will spend eternity. God’s grace is sufficient!