It's a question you probably haven't been asked before—ever: How's your hate life?

Your answer is critical because Psalm 97:10 says, "Let those who love the Lord hate evil." Proverbs 8:13 reinforces that message: "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil." Meaning we are to hate sin.

Like many believers, you might respond, "Of course I dislike sin." But that isn't enough. God calls us to hate sin. All sin. Do we?

You say, "Isn't this all just a game of semantics? Dislike versus hate—not a big deal."

It's a huge deal. Here's why. What we do not hate—we tolerate. Including (and maybe especially) sin.

Think about it. I dislike that I weigh as much as I do. But I don't hate it. If I did, I wouldn't eat so many cookies. And I wouldn't demand my daily Coke at lunchtime.

Scripture says if we love the Lord, we must hate evil. Hence the question, how's your hate life?

When we don't hate what God hates, we inevitably end up trying to manage sin. It's the alcoholic who says, "I must work on my drinking problem. I'll cut back to one beer a day." That's managing sin. Dumping every drop of alcohol in your house down the drain—that's hating sin.

If we are going to hate sin, we must kill it. John Owen once famously warned, "Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you." You don't "manage" cockroaches. You kill them! You don't "manage" mice. You kill them! Same with sin.

If we do not hate what God hates, we invite sin and temptation to ruin us.

Let's not be deceived. Sin is not merely a problem, or a nemesis or a "bad angel" on your shoulder whispering temptations into your ear.

Sin is a killer.

It wants to kill your reputation.

It wants to kill your ministry.

It wants to kill your family.

It wants to kill your future.

It wants to kill your peace.

It wants to kill your hope.

It wants to kill your joy.

How's your hate life? 

You couldn’t help laughing out loud at the text our daughter sent. She has four kids, ages five to thirteen. And like all children, they can get on each other’s nerves. But—the text says it best:

Just got complimented by a guy at Costco for my well-behaved children. (They were awful all morning). The guy turns and leaves, and our oldest—Joslynn—says, "we present a united front, but we have a ton of infighting."

Who said kids don’t have a good grasp on things?

Sadly, Joslynn's admission is an accurate assessment not just of the world but the Church today.

We put enormous emphasis on having a church with an engaging Bible teacher. We spend big dollars on sound, light, and projection systems. We invest massive effort in our worship teams and kids’ programs.

Despite all that, our struggle with division and disunity is not unlike Joslynn's summary: we present a united front, but we have a ton of infighting.

But what if church life was different? What if we had not just a united front—but true unity? What if we modeled for the world what it means to face disagreements—yet still love each other?

In a culture of angst and anger, of snarky social posts and virtue signaling, I suspect people would come crawling out of the woodwork full of curiosity. Seeing the real Jesus—even in sinners like us—has a way of drawing people to Christ.

Lord, deliver us—from us.

Deliver us from our worship of self rather than the Savior.

Bring us genuine unity—the kind that comes only from fixing our eyes on Jesus.

“Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”  -Philippians 2:2

The other night, I felt the futility of an anxious spirit. In the gray gloom of not-yet-sleep, I pondered my past expenditures on worry.

Weariness shrouded me, a sadness for all that wasted emotion and abused adrenalin. And then four words settled upon me: “It is not necessary.”

I will not pretend to tell you this was the voice of God, though the thought was certainly of God: “It is not necessary.”

• This constant churning of ours. It is not necessary.
• This rehearsing and rehashing of past failures. It is not necessary.
• This endless doomsday forecasting we gravitate toward. It is not necessary.

In the bright light of an answered prayer, this all became so clear. It wasn’t so much shame that I felt (God never intends that). It was more like a sigh—the kind that comes when you realize you just bought an expensive item you now know you don't need—and there's no return policy. That's worry for you. It takes—but never gives back.

Is your soul churning over a fractured relationship? It is not necessary. Are you crushed by a dream gone bad? It is not necessary. Do you fear that this or that unmet need will surely spell your doom? It is not necessary.

What is necessary? God, Himself tells us: "Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Note the word all in this verse. Your Heavenly Father wants every shred of dread you've ever pondered—wants you to cast it on Him. And why? Because He cares for you. He said so! And that's enough.

You and I have only so much thought currency. Why spend a dime on worry?

Photo by Kat Smith from Pexels

"Clean your dirty face."  That's what the sign on the store said. It made me want to grab a mirror and check for grime or grease on my mug.

Curious, I picked up the store's brochure and learned they were selling thirty-minute facials.

As a guy, I’m not well versed here (washing my face takes about 20 seconds). But in talking to my beautiful wife—who has beautiful skin—I learned there’s more to having a clean face than the absence of visible dirt. Hence, the availability of these thirty-minute facial treatments.

Being clean is a massive theme in Scripture:

• David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart” (Psalm 51:10).
• Job said, “The one who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9).
• Isaiah commanded, “Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean (Isaiah 1:16).

God is intensely, eternally interested in our being clean deep inside. But that will take more than a session at a beauty shop. Rather than getting a facial, I suggest we need a "soul-cial"—a cleansing at the soul level. I need this!

Just like we set aside time for a facial, let’s make an actual appointment with God. Maybe you skip breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. The main thing is, set a specific date and time.    

Begin by confessing any known sin. Then—and here comes the “deep clean”—invite the Holy Spirit to point out any dirt or filth you might have overlooked. Confess all that, too, and ask Him to remove it. 

Then, pray with David—who knew exactly what we’re talking about—“Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Seems to me if we give 30 minutes to a facial, we could do the same for cleaning our souls.

This week, I’m going to make an appointment with God for a soul-cial. If you want to do the same, I’ll email you a pdf of 10 Bible passages to help you focus your prayer time. Just say, "Send me those verses" when you connect at Jon@jongauger.com. 

You’ve noticed, haven't you? Your groceries are shrinking. But not the prices, mind you.

A few weeks ago, I made a batch of brownies. Problem is the (brand name withheld) company has thinned down the amount of mix in the box to the point those brownies looked more like a chocolate-flavored postage stamp in a 13 x 9 pan.

My suspicions were confirmed a few days ago when making brownies again. Different brand this time, but the directions told me to use TWO boxes! 

We've seen the same thing with other foods. Though the macaroni box remains the same size, the noodles and the powdered cheese packet are so reduced they could easily fit into a box half the current size.

Lest you think this is merely personal perception, the Nielsen Company confirms that up to 30% of packaged goods “have lost content over the past year.” In other words, your groceries really are shrinking. They call it shrinkflation.

It means 32-ounce Gatorade bottles have now shrunk to 28 ounces, and you’re getting about 2 ounces less of Keebler Chips Deluxe cookies. It means there’s less Charmin toilet paper to squeeze: 8-count mega rolls now contain 244 two-ply sheets instead of 264.

Do these people think we don’t notice? How can they honestly believe this practice (price increases they’re hoping you don’t see) comes across as anything other than deception?

I'm so glad we serve a God who has never known a stingy thought and never shrunken a single blessing. In contrast to America's miserly manufacturers, Paul speaks of our God, "who richly provides us with everything to enjoy" (1 Tim 6:17).

Though inflation may well continue to jack up prices, though food manufacturers may continue shrinking their products, you and I can count on the continuing generosity of our King. Philippians 4:19 says of Him, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

Anybody care for a brownie?

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Business/story?id=5051337&page=1

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/08/business/toilet-paper-roll-shrinking-inflation/index.html