Enemy: February 25, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2014

ENEMY

DEFINITION:

One who opposes or seeks to inflict injury upon another; foe; one who is against another.

SCRIPTURE:

Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. Luke 6:35.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Jesus in Luke 6:27-36 gives us, as believers a definitive statement on how we are to deal with enemies. Jesus starts His comments by saying. “But I say to you who hear.” He states it this way because He knows that many believers do not want to hear how He expects us to deal with our enemies. No one likes to hear anything that requires something difficult for us to do.

Jesus begins by telling us to love our enemies and to do good to them that hate you. Jesus is initiating here the most revolutionary lifestyle ever known in the history of mankind. No religion in the world can remotely compare with this. If you study other religions including Buddhism and Islam, they have absolutely no principles even close to this.

In verse 31, Jesus gives us what we know today is the golden rule. He says just as you want men to do to you, you also do to him likewise.  Jesus was restating for the believers today what the law taught as recorded in Leviticus 19:18: You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The natural reaction today is to return good for good and evil for evil. Think of how you have reacted at times when someone does something evil that has hurt you. You immediately want to do something hurtful to get back at that person.

When our children were young they would be playing nicely when suddenly a small war would break out and they would treat one other as their enemy. If one hit the other they would hit back. It would continue until the one losing the battle called for parental intervention.

So often a divorce results in spouses becoming bitter enemies. Sadly, children are used as pawns for one spouse to get back at the other spouse. In most cases in trying to get back at an enemy, no thought is given to who else might be hurt.

Consider how painful it was for Adam and Eve when Cain killed his brother all because he considered him an enemy (Genesis 4:8). Joseph’s older brothers considered Joseph their enemy and hated him so much they sold him into slavery. We are told how painful this was for Joseph’s father, Jacob, when his sons lied and said Joseph was dead. Jacob said he would go to his grave in mourning for his son (Genesis 37:34).

It is natural to think that evil would not be returned for good, but often evil is returned for good, especially to anyone who is perceived to be an enemy. In Genesis 16:6 we read about Hagar and Sarah. Hager was a good and obedient servant to her mistress Sarah but they became enemies and Sarah treated Hager so harshly that Hager had to flee from Sarah.

David also did good serving King Saul, bringing victory to King Saul over the Philistines. It would be expected that Saul would feel grateful to David. Instead Saul felt jealous of David and considered him an enemy and plotted to kill him.

In Luke 6:32 Jesus says it is no credit to us if we love those who love us. Even sinners do that. Jesus wants us as believers in Him (verse 33) to do the hard thing and love our enemies. Jesus goes on to say that when we give good we should give it with an attitude of not expecting anything in return. The Lord will repay us as is written in Proverbs 19:17: He who has pity on the poor lends unto the Lord; and that which he has given will He (God) repay him again.

Jesus asks us to follow His example and love our enemies and show love and mercy to others just as He does.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 1:3.

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Help me and my family to always do good in return for any hate that may come our way. Help us by Your grace to love those that hate us always praying that they will soon return to You.