Hatred Warps Us

Scott Beyer
09/11/23 - Bulletin

“When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they killed Paul.” (Acts 23:12)

            Hatred does weird things to us.  It corrupts us and twists things.  Making an oath is something that involves integrity.  Oaths are about being trustworthy, keeping your word, and being honest enough to bind yourself to words.  Follow through shows responsibility and ethics.

            …unless that oath is to conspire to kill a man.  When we hate people, our ethics get all warped by the hatred.  These Jews hated Paul so much that they were willing to abandon their character and mask it under the guise of self-righteousness.

            And since they didn’t succeed in killing Paul – I wonder how many of them stuck with their oath and died from dehydration and starvation.  Hatred clouds the mind and contaminates our character.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

Today’s Reading: Acts 23:12-22

Questions to ask:

1. How does this show the continuation of Jesus’ work now going on in the church?
2. How is the gospel, Paul’s preaching, and/or Paul’s defense received?
3. What is the Holy Spirit doing in this text?
4. What in our reading shows how Paul handled adversity and difficulty?

This year, #Biblebites are following the life and writings of Paul.  If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2023-vision

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