Tag: obedience

  • Love Your Enemies

    The pastor plans his sermons as far in advance as a year at our  local assembly. That makes the timing of yesterday’s text providential.

    The text? Jesus is speaking…

    “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tuniceither. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

    “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:27-36 ESV

    A Federal election was announced this weekend here in Canada. South of us, the President is making massive changes, many impacting our country. The result? Panic, anger, hatred. The politicians demonize their opponents, and their followers drink the proverbial Kool-aid. It is happening on all sides of the political spectrum.

    People we have known for years are suddenly our enemies. Civil discourse is tossed out the window. Our social media pages are filled with horrific hate and fear-filled rants.

    I’ve had to snooze many people’s posts because of it. I read their posts and want to retaliate in a similar manner. I confess it is a struggle for me. I couldn’t hold back without the Holy Spirit working in me.

    I can easily forget that conspiracy theories aside, most of these people are well-intentioned and want the best for others. They often want a solution radically different from the one I see as correct. I can struggle to keep from throwing out relationships because of these differences.

    The text made a dialogue between myself and the Lord happen in my head. Perhaps you can relate to this to some degree.

    Love them? But Lord, do you know what they stand for?

    Bless them? But Lord…?

    Pray for them? Okay, Lord… smite them! No, Kevin! Pray for them to be drawn to me. Pray blessings, not curses. Remember, I love them, and they are created in my image.

    Pray for them? You mean so they think like I do? No, Kevin! Pray so that your heart is changed and I’m magnified.

    Lord, don’t you know how hard that is? Of course, I know. That’s why I have given you my Word and my Spirit.

    Lord, I don’t want to! Kevin, I didn’t ask if you wanted to. I commanded you to do so. You show your love for me by following my commands and loving. So you want us to “love your enemies.”

    Fine! If I have to. I guess. 

    So my friends, I will strive to trust in Him. I will do my best to love you and pray that you are blessed, even if (especially if) we disagree and somehow see each other as enemies.

    His ways are not my ways. His ways are always right. I’m going to need a lot of help from the Holy Spirit.

    I pray that you join with me in praying for those you find it difficult to love.

    Let us be known as people who love no matter what.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Are They/Them our real enemies
    # Right Belief Must Become Right Living

  • The high cost of stubbornness

    black lamborghini hurricane
    Lamborghini Hurracan

    Some years ago, I was driving down Anthony  Henday Drive (part of a ring road system that encircles Edmonton) when a new-looking Lamborghini blew past me at an incredible rate of speed. The traffic around me was traveling about 30km over the posted limit, and I was keeping up with the flow of traffic. He blew by us by at least half our speed again.

    Just down the road, we all passed him as a police officer was writing him a ticket. It wasn’t long before he passed us again. Five minutes later, he blew by and hadn’t slowed down.

    I passed him again, stopped for the third time, and got what I assumed was his third ticket. I wanted to see if he would go for number four, but I had to take the next exit and never saw him again.

    Maybe he had so much money that he didn’t care about the cost of the tickets and the increased insurance premiums. Perhaps he thought the law didn’t apply to him. Maybe he was leaving the country never to return and didn’t care. Whatever his reasons, he struck me as being slow to learn. 

    Sometimes, we’re stubborn and slow to learn. That is generally not a good thing.

    Being stubborn and slow to learn is often a problem in our Christian walk. We complain we don’t understand everything the Bible says, but if we took the blinders off and put the little bit we understand into practice, we would see the world transformed.

    God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He does expect us to work diligently at what He’s told us to do.

    You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:14-15 NIV

    We’re called to do what He’s told us to do. There’s a reason for that command. Obedience brings joy.

    As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:9-11 NIV

    In what areas of your walk have you been stubborn or slow to learn? What are you going to change today (with His help)?

    Until next time, remember that there is joy in obedience and pain in disobedience. My prayer is that you opt for joy.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Some other content you might enjoy

    Right belief or right living?

    Celebrate your identity in Christ

    Baseball – an analogy for our faith walk

    The high cost of stubbornness