By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Who is your enemy? Is it someone with contrasting political views or someone of a different faith? Is it someone of a different nationality or race? Is it your neighbor who blasts his tv all hours of the night and won’t take care of his lawn? As Christians, we have only one legitimate enemy, the devil, and everyone else is someone we need to love, and if necessary, forgive. Jesus made it very clear how we are to treat our enemies (the devil excluded). “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you, pray for those who spitefully use you” Not always easy to do, not always the first thing that comes to mind, or the first thing we want to do. I like the phrase Pastor Curt used yesterday, “cross over the void of anger.” People, the world and its vastly opposing views, gets us angry, at least it does me, but we need to cross over that void of anger and even of hatred. Think of Stephen as he was being killed, his body being broken by hatred thrown stones, still praying, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” That is something we need to keep in the forefront of our minds, hate the sin, not the sinner. Everyone needs to be loved. Only love can change a heart. As He loves us, so we must love, and forgive, others. We may get angry, we may be used and abused, and then we may get over it! When Jesus said love your enemies, while it may not have been listed with the ten commandments, it was not meant to be a suggestion!