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PURIFY MY HEART

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen,” 1 John 4:20 ESV. Wow! The apostle John’s words hit with searing simplicity. Cain’s treatment of his brother Abel ultimately defined his relationship with God. My treatment of my “brothers and sisters” determines the depth of my relationship with God. There is no room for arrogance, prejudice, or judgmentalism in this divinely established arrangement. The parable of the “prodigal son” is as much about the self-centered “elder brother” as it is about the wayward son. Many strive so hard to be “righteous” yet turn out to have a worse character in the eyes of God than those who wholly depend upon His mercy and grace. Selah. LORD, have mercy on me. In Your goodness and lovingkindness, purify my heart from any and all hatred toward others. 

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