Playing Favorites

Did you know that there is such a thing as 'good hate'?

I learned that just yesterday from listening to local sports radio. The guy was right on in my book.

Think about it for a second. What's the deal with the flood of Yankee fans at the K when the Royals take on the New Yorkers? They come out in their pinstripe droves and scream like they are back in the Bronx. I personally think that anyone who shows up in true Royal Blue should get a 25 percent discount for dugout and luxury box seats while a 25 percent ticket surcharge should be added to anyone wearing that whacked NY emblem on their jersey or cap...for way upper deck seating only. OK, I hate the Yankees...but it is a 'good hate'.

I am not too fond of the Cincinnati football Bengals either. They stole the team colors of my boyhood heroes, the Cleveland Browns, located to the south in the same Buckeye state and went to the Super Bowl. Don't even get me started on the Baltimore Ravens! Those are the Browns! They left my boyhood hometown, (some call it the 'Mistake by the Lake'...jealous kinds of people obviously), moved toward the national capital...and just a couple years later...WON the Super Bowl. I 'hate' both of those teams...but...it is a 'good hate'.

Later as a young teenager, our family relocated to central Alabama. We were introduced to the state rivalry that is more intense than anything I have ever known. Auburn or Alabama? Choose your side and your friends according to "War Eagle" or "Roll Tide". My bride is an Auburn graduate, her father an Alabama fan. I had to really walk the line when I asked for her hand in marriage! It is a sharp divide that provides plenty of opportunity to express 'good hate'.

Do you practice 'good hate'? You have favorites, right? Your preferences mean something to you, correct? Chinese or Mexican tonight? The Triangle or the backstreets? A cruise to the Caribbean or a camping trip to Yosemite? Gangsta Rap or Opera? Obama or McCain? Are you or were you a 'favorite child'? Do you have one as a parent? Teams and preferences aside, do you play favorites with people? Are there some folk that you just plain like more than others? Are there others that you just don't give a flying flip for?

Do you think God has 'favorites'?

Well, He had the Chosen People thing going on for a while, and for some that is a real stumbling block when it ought not be at all. The truth is that He chose a certain people for a specific purpose that radiated far beyond themselves to express and demonstrate to all that God really plays no favorites.

"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all." Acts 10:34-36

When Peter made this statement, he had faced the reality that he had misinterpreted the heart of God because of personal prejudice. He had been taught that grace had limits and that the goodness of God had borders. He may even have believed that some hate was indeed 'good'. In a dramatic, personal way, the God of the Bible spoke deeply to the apostle while he was praying one afternoon. He finally understood that it was God's plan to reveal His heart to all people, of all nationalities, political views, belief systems and religious traditions through the completed redemptive work of His Son, the Lord Jesus...the Christ. With that revelation, Peter accepted the invitation of a gentile Roman military commander (quite a few 'good hate' qualifiers) to share the redemptive message of God's heart (and actions) toward all.

'God does not show favoritism.'

Think about that for a few moments. Let that sink in some. Consider that fact when you have been duped into believing that you are beyond His reach because of your shame or hardness of heart. Before you exercise or express any type of 'justifiable' judgment or prejudice toward a classmate, a work team member, an employee, neighbor, family member or Yankee fan, remember that God does not wear pinstripes or royal blue. To be honest about it, there will come a time when all distinctions will be laid to rest and all who know Him will be in perfect union with one another...dressed in the redemptive gear He has provided by grace;

"From every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb, they were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out with a loud voice; 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Revelation 7:9-10

Imagine that! All together...and happy about it! Only Jesus could do that. Maybe now, today, you can throw down your prejudices, distinctives, preferences and 'favorites' and invite others to experience His all inclusive grace through your words, actions, conversations and Christ-like lifestyle. That is a barrier buster for sure! That is a taste of what grace can do and the glory that grace promises to all who know Him and who will be robed in white one day soon!