Enemy Love

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:35-36 NIV

Thinking purely in human terms an enemy is someone to be defeated, destroyed and killed. That is a mutual stance. But, in the kingdom of God, that is not necessarily how it works. 

In Christ, God is merciful to us, even though we were ungrateful and wicked. We, even after accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, often act more like enemies of God than faithful servants. Yet, he still loves us faithfully and mercifully. 

Now the application of this truth is that we need to be merciful to the ungrateful and wicked people in our lives. A few people come to mind that I know I will probably see today. Because I work with them. Who comes to mind for you?

Lord, give us the love to be merciful to our enemies just as you have been and are merciful to us. 

Love Real People

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever who loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 4:19-21 (NIV)

Love begins with Christ. He loved us first, when there was no compelling reason to do so. We were his enemies, yet, he chose to love us by dying on the cross in our place, taking away our sin and placing us in his family. 

Let's get real here. It's easy to say you are a Christian and that you love everyone. What's difficult is when someone acts in a very unloving way toward you and you must respond in some way. I think, sometimes, that the closer the person is to you the harder it may be to respond in love. If a random person says something hurtful to me I can blow it off, but if my wife does, then I can be a little defensive. (And of course this goes the other way too.) 

The lesson is that loving each other in Christ is not necessarily easy.  Most of the time we need to sit down before the throne of grace and ask for grace. We need to remember that he first loved us and he forgives us, multiple times, on a daily basis! If you think you are easy to deal with, you probably aren't. 

I am a sinner saved by grace. I may accidentally step on someones toes or I may purposely step on someones toes, but I will step on toes. We all will. Humility, knowing who I am in Christ, should lead me to remember that because Christ first love me, I should love whoever God puts in my path.

Father, help us to love others just like Christ loved and loves us. Praise be to you in us today!

LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS ARE GOD'S GLORY

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us

     but to your name be the glory,

     because of your love and faithfulness."

 Hebrews 115:1

Sometime things get pretty crazy. Whatever the crisis, whatever the trial, it will be the Lord's love and faithfulness that will carry us through. He will be glorified.

Everyone has struggles. But, we have God. Everyone encounters difficult people who seem to be enemies with everyone they come in contact with. But, we have the Lord on our side to fight our battles and vindicate us.

What is your trial today? Who or what is your enemy that you are battling?  Call on God. Trust in him. He is loving and faithful. It is his glory to help us and shield us. 

Father, help us to call upon you and trust you with the trials and enemies we face. Be glorified in us. Help us and shield us today! Praise be to you in us today!

VICTORY IS OURS!/ Psalm 44:4-5

"You are my King and my God,
     who decrees victories for Jacob.
 Through you we push back our enemies;
     through your name we trample our foes."
 Psalm 44:4-5

If there is going to be any victory in our lives it is because of our Kind and God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Just as the Psalmist realized the victories were all about God, we too must realize, only God can bring the victory.

"Through your name" we trample down our foes. I was just reading I Samuel 7 this morning and few things apply. First of all Israel repented (verse 2), and while they were seeking the Lord their enemy, the Philistines, decided to attack (verses 7). Isn't that the way it goes? We start to seek God in earnest and the trials start to come. The Israelites sought God and he gave them the victory (verses 14). 

Here's the deal: There will be battles. We will seek God and he will give us the victory. 

Father, help us to seek you. We look to you for the victories we need in our marriages, children, jobs and finances. Praise be to you in us today!

HOW LONG? STAND STRONG!: Psalm 35:17-18

"O LORD, how long will you look on?
     Rescue my life from their ravages,
     my precious life from these lions.
 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
     among throngs of people I will praise you." 
          Psalm 35:17-18 

OK, let's be real here. Sometimes we just don't understand God's timing. His time is not our time. Sometimes we just we just can't figure out why God doesn't just blast some people. 

I'll be honest. I can't see the end from the beginning. I can't predict the future. I can't tell if another person's heart is sincere or not. I may feel slighted when someone accidentally steps on my toes. And in all reality, some people are out to get everyone else. There are some evil people out there. 

But God, is not just about our comfort. God is shaping us into the image of Christ and that is not always comfortable. It may even be painful and heartbreaking. But God is still God and he will always be Sovereign over all. He is faithful and will complete the work he began in us. So, we call on him.

One last truth. David ends with a declaration. Sort of staking his claim on the work of God in his life. He says, "I will give you thanks." There is no ifs. Just I will. Sometimes maybe we just need  to state the truth. 

I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you. 

Father, rescue our lives. We will give thanks in the great assembly. Praise be to you in us today!