Pastor's Blog

Blog »    

Thursday, March 20, 2014



"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven”   Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV)  

What does it mean to “love your enemies”?    Scott McKnight puts it this way, Love is “a rugged commitment to be with someone as someone who is for that person’s good and to love them unto God’s formative purposes”.

“With”      “for”      “unto”  

If this is correct and I think it is, then it would mean that avoidance is not a good option.  Although a cooling off period is often necessary, separation doesn’t normally contribute to love.   Avoidance usually builds more walls.  I need to commit myself in some way shape or form to be around or with or attentive to or somehow sometimes to be in the presence of those I’m at odds with so that I can demonstrate that I long for and am working for the long term good of that person.    This is an ethic, or behavior that far, far surpasses today’s American ethic of tolerance.   People don’t need tolerated, they need loved.   My goal should be not to tolerate enemies, but to strive for them to become the sort of person God wants them to be.  

Perhaps you have someone who fits into the broad category of “enemy”.   What might be your starting point if you are ready to actually believe that . . .   1.  Jesus knows what he’s talking about.   2.   What He says actually leads to a more blessed life than I’m living now. ?    Can you find ways to simply be around that person or those persons on some regular basis so that your interactions can be at least more normalized?   Can you set aside regular time to pray for that person?  

“Lord, forgive us for our avoidance.   Forgive us for creating in our minds persons who are “other”, who are “against us” or against whom we find ourselves.   Lord, lead me into the presence of my enemies, not to feast in their presence (the bad part of Psalm 23) but to pray that they will feast in Your presence, and with that to “surpass the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees”.  Amen”

 

Comment    

For more:   follow on Twitter @jefflampl