Love Your Enemy

Today's message comes from Matthew 5:43-45

43: "You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

44: But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45: so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

This comes after a conversation with a friend and then coming home and reading this very passage. It inspired me to use our conversation to make a point.

The conversation started out with me talking about my hubby having been sick for over two months now. His first attack was his right shoulder area on his back hurting. His muscles were extremely tight and causing great pain. He went in and the doctor put him on muscle relaxers and pain pills. He was bed ridden the for a few days then seemed to be getting better.

During this time he hadn't been to church but one time. This was a concern. Not to mention his whole being had changed. His coloring was poor. I just kept praying. Shortly after he started experiencing pain in the left side. I found a not the size of a tennis ball at the base of his neck. I kept prompting him to go in and get it checked as I was concerned that it may be a herniated disc. He finally went in and we were shocked with the diagnosis.

While the doctor was checking him out, she found some vertebra's that were very tender further down his back which caused concern. She ordered an x-ray. When she returned with the results, she was shocked as well. He had pneumonia and also told us that he has advanced osteoarthritis. Wow!

So he was kept on the muscle relaxers as his muscles were tight from the pneumonia and the pain pills. I took him off of those, as I could see him going down hill fast. The doc said that the pain medication would keep him from coughing, which he needed to cough to get the junk out. He was bed ridden for a few days again.

But there was something else too. I could tell something just wasn't right. He had only been to church a couple of times. Was despondent often, coloring was poor. Just not himself at all.

After one of the services I talked to a Pastor who is a good friend of ours. I explained all that was going on and he prayed and then mentioned something I never thought about. One of our friends who was a pillar in the church, a godly man by all means who basically was a mentor to my husband had done something shocking to many. It really had an impact on us. We just couldn't believe it. How could a man like this do such a thing?

Well it never occurred to me the full impact it had on hubs. It really brought him down. It affected his faith and all. The illness came at the same time and totally reflected on the illness alone, thinking it all had to do with that.

So I shared with a friend that hubs has been sick and needed prayer as he still is, but also talked without mention of name or situation just the shock that something bad had happened to such an awesome couple.

What she said was profound. "He's a man. We all have our moments when we fall short." She then shared of a church where the Pastor had been with this church for years and one day it was found that he liked pornography. Oh the horror! She was amazed at the congregations reactions. How they just put him down, he needed to be put out of the church. He was labeled. Why? She was wondering why the people weren't praying and lifting him up and helping him overcome that addiction.

This Scripture says it like it is. We are to love our enemies. Except he should not have been viewed that way. He messed up. He had an addiction that should have been approached, prayed about, and received help and support to over come this addiction.

This is where so many of us fall short. Does God walk away from us when we mess up? No! Instead He puts people in our midst to help us become better people. Instead he prods us and urges us to try harder to be better people.

But plain and simple, we are of the flesh. We will have our short falls. So the next time we find ourselves judging someone, ask yourself how you would feel if you were in that person's shoes and were being condemned. Would you deserve that kind of treatment, or would you rather people reach out and try to help you walk through it, over come it and become a better person for it by learning and stopping that problem?

Remember the Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

1: "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged.

2: For with judgment you use, ou will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3: Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye?

4: Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out your eye,' and look there's a log in your eye?

5: Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

I'm guilty of judging others at times and am trying so hard to over come that. It's a trait I do not like.

Let the Spirit lead you and guide you. Before reacting to a situation, ask yourself how you would feel if someone responded to you in the way you were thinking of reacting. Let's get better at holding each other accountable for our actions/reactions. None of us are above one another. We are all equal.

Should we hold our leaders accountable? Of course, but with love and understanding just as our Father does with us. When they fall short, remind them, but don't turn away from them. Instead pray for them, give them a reminder in a manner that the Lord leads you to do. If you catch others condemning them, give them a gentle reminder of the proper attitude to have. Have a Christ like attitude! I know I sure want that more than anything.

Let's be the brothers and sisters we were meant to be. Our nationalities, skin color, age, sex, what ever the case doesn't matter. What matters is we are all God's children and should love one another, uphold one another, support one another through the good and the bad. Not just during the good.

Blessings to all of you. May your walk with the Lord be glorious and may we all glorify His great name!

God's Promises: Tuesday

Shame; Lying; Slander & Reproach; Anger; Guilt; Enemies; Prisoners; Loneliness; Worry; and Pride. Taken from the NKJV.

Shame: Romans 9:33: "As it is written: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Lying: 1 Kings 22:16: "So the king said to him, 'How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but truth in the name of the Lord?"

Slander & Reproach: Psalm 31:20: "You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues."

Anger: Ecclesiastes 7:9: "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. "

Guilt: 1 John 3:20: "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things."

Enemies: Exodus 15: 6: "Your right hand O Lord, has become glorious in power; You right hand, O Lord has dashed the enemy in pieces."

Prisoners: Psalm 146: 7: "Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners."

Loneliness: Genesis 28:15: "Behold, I am with you and will keep wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."

Worry: Luke 10:41-42: "And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

Pride: Proverbs 21:4: "A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin."

God's Promises: Tuesday

Shame; Lying; Slander & Reproach; Anger; Guilt; Enemies; Prisoners; Loneliness; Worry; and Pride. Taken from the NKJV

Shame: 2 Timothy 1:12: "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."
We should feel shameful for believing in our Heavenly Father.

Lying: Proverbs 14: 5: "A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will utters lies."

Slander & Reproach: Isaiah 51:7: "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men. Nor be afraid of their insults."
Although words can strike hard, we must learn to ignore, pray, and let it wash off of us.

Anger: James 1:19-20: "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
Anger does no one any good.


Guilt: Psalm 103:12: "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."
Hanging on to guilt is not good for your health, therefore it is best to repent, forgive and move on.

Enemies: Deuteronomy 20:4: "For the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for your against your enemies, to save you."
We must never worry. He will always be there for us.

Prisoners: Psalm 107:14: "He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death."
We will never be prisoners unless we allow ourselves to be.

Loneliness: 2 Corinthians 6:18: "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
We are never alone, not matter if no one is immediately available.

Worry: Jeremiah 17:8: "For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out it's roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes: But it's leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."

Pride: Job 40:12: "Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; tread down the wicked in their place."

God's Promises: Tuesday

Shame; Lying; Slander & Reproach; Anger; Guilt; Enemies; Prisoners; Loneliness; Worry & Pride. Taken from the CBS Version.

Shame: Romans 5:5: "This hope does not disappoint, because God 's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
We should not feel shameful for those who believe, as the Lord is all gracious, loving and forgiving.

Lying: Proverbs 25:18: "A man giving false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow."
In other words, your lies can hurt. The old cliche' "stabbing one in the back" is about what it feels like when your bear falsities towards your neighbor. So keep an honest tongue.

Slander & Reproach: Psalm 57:3: "He reaches down from Heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. God sends His faithful love and truth."
Yes he does! Hallelujah! I can testify to this one. I've seen His hand reach down literally and save me. Thank you Father!

Anger: Psalm 30:5: "For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning."
God is always there to heal, to love, and to protect.

Guilt: 2 Chronicles 30:9: "For when you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons [will receive] mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn [His] face away from you if you return to Him."
Amen! Thank you Lord! Do not turn away from Him, lest you want to grieve for eternity, and you want the next generations to suffer as well.

Enemies: Deuteronomy 28:7: "The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you from one direction but flee from you in seven directions."
Isn't this great? He will take care of us no matter what!

Prisoners: Psalm 69:33: "For the Lord listens to the needy and does not despise His own who are prisoners."
He truly is an all loving God.

Loneliness: Isaiah 43:4: "Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give human beings in your place, and peoples in place of your life."
We will never be alone with Him!

Worry: Philippians 4:19: "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
We are provided for as long as we believe in and follow Jesus.

Pride: Proverbs 26:12: "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
It is not good for one to fluff his feathers and look down on others. For we were all created equally. We all have a reason. Where some lack in one area from others, they will pick up where the others lack. When we come as one, we accomplish so much more!

God's Promises: Tuesday

Shame; Lying; Slander & Reproach; Anger; Guilt; Enemies; Prisoners, Loneliness; Worry; and Pride. From the NKJV.

Shame: Psalm 119:6: "Then I would not be ashamed, when I look inot all Your commandments."
When we follow the commandments of the Lord, we will not have a reason to be ashamed when we see His sweet face.

Lying: Leviticus 19:12: "And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord."

Slander & Reproach: 1 Peter 4:14: "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified."
When we are being cursed for being a believer, we are blessed with the Holy Spirit and He is glorified because of it. The person cursing us is cursing the Lord and is sinning. We are glorifiying the Lords name with our belief.

Anger: Nehemiah 9:17: "They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and thier rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are God, ready to pardon, greacious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them."
What a loving God we have. We can be stubborn, angry, etc. and He still loves us and forgives us when we repent of our sins. Notice how it says, "slow to anger." This is what we should practice/work on to be more Christ like, "slow to anger."

Guilt: Isaiah 55:7: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him retrun to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundntly pardon."
Again, we must repent, ask for forgiveness. When we do this, we are forgiven (pardoned) by the Lord for all and this enables us to let go of our guilt.

Enemies: Isaiah 62:8: "The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength; 'Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies; and the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine, for which you have labored."
He's always looking out for us!

Prisoners: Dueteronomy 30:4: "If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you."
You are never alone no matter what.

Loneliness: Isaiah 58:9: "then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness."
For if you obey Him, He is always there to pick you back up. You are never alone.

Worry: Psalm 46:1-3: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the seas 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling."
Isn't it nice to know that there really is no need for worry, as God has it all under control no matter the situation. After all, our lives are already planned out.

Pride: Isaiah 5:21: "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
So as long as we are careful with what we do, and stay on the path God has given us we will be well kept and nd taken care of.

God's Promises: Tuesday

Today's subjects is: Shame; Lying; Slander & Reproach; Anger; Guilt; Enemies; Prisoners; Loneliness; Worry; Pride. As you can see, these are all on sins that we must avoid.

Shame: Romans 10:11: "For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." This is simple, believe in Him, He will take care of you, and you not have to worry about living in shame. Of course believing is following His word. Charles Stanley put it this way: "God never offers salvation to someone and then pulls the rug out from under him when he tried to accept the gracious offer."

Lying: Colossians 3:9-10: "9Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."

Slander & Reproach: Matthew 5:11-12: "11Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Definition of revile: verb, -viled, -vil⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1.
to assail with contemptuous or opprobrious language; address or speak of abusively.–verb (used without object)
2.
to speak abusively.

This is saying that we must re-fraining from talking bad of others, and treating poorly. God wants us to be like Him. You will never hear Him going around calling people names and chastising them.

Anger: Psalms 145:8: "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. Slow to anger and great in mercy." Remember we spoke of mercy yesterday. He is an all merciful God. We too must follow Him and be slow to anger. Anger solves nothing, but instead causes more grief.

Guilt: 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." How cool is that! What a loving forgiving God we have. If we do not confess, we carry the guilt with us the whole time. That's not at all healthy. This is also a promise for Salvation through Christ. With it also being a promise of Christ for Salvation.

Enemies: Psalm 37:40: "And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them. Because they trust in Him." When we put out faith in the Lord, He is going to ward off the enemies for us. When the enemy attacks, He will "deliver" us from the enemy! And of course, faith and belief play a big role here as well.

Prisoners: Isaiah 49:25: "But thus says the Lord; 'Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you." Is this a nice promise or what? God is all loving!

Loneliness: John 14:18: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." We will never have to worry about being alone in Christ. He is always there for us no matter what. Even when we push Him away, He is right there waiting for us. I know, I've done the walking away and He was right there to take me back in His loving arms! He told me, "Child, I'm happy to see you have returned. I never left you. I was right here waiting for you to return. I carried you when you were struggling." He is so faithful.

Worry: Philippians 4:6-7: "6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Here again, belief and faith is needed in order to keep from worrying. Don't worry.

Pride: Proverbs 16:18: "How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." I can still remember an old adage; "Pride goeth before the fall." Pride is a sin. One should not be boastful. We should always humble ourselves before the Lord.

Well, this is it for today. See you tomorrow with a whole new set of topics. Until then...