Fellowship focus 1 - November 1996
Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (NIV)
This command has but one interpretation. Agreed?
Clear and direct words with single interpretations are often the ones we find hardest to apply. Here are some of my avoidance tactics when it comes to obeying this command:
- I quench the Holy Spirit when he brings the verse into my mind;
- I think "Oh, they'll [my enemies] think I'm a doormat";
- I concentrate on other legitimate parts of my Christian life.
Yes, I know the above are wrong, and I can even tell you why:
- We are told not to quench the Spirit;
- We should only be concerned about how God himself sees us;
- We need to consider the WHOLE counsel of the scriptures.
I have known this for some time now. But at the end of the day I have to confess that:
- My enemies remain unloved;
- My persecutors remain unprayed for.
I prayed long and hard for the Lord to help me with this. Then one day pushing my trolley round Tesco, it came to me. The reason it had been so difficult was that over the years I had become numbed to the reality of hell, and the grace of God that loved me and drew me while I was still his enemy.
Clear commands are easy to understand but hard to obey. Let us be honest before God and ask him to help us with commands such as this for the sake of his precious name.
Amen.
Anita.