Self Check! Sometimes, I have to do a self-check... OKAY, let's keep this real! A LOT of times, I have to do a self-check! What are my motives? Most of the time I do "good" things to get something back for myself. How often do I do good things when....
"But I tell you, LOVE your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44 NIV
.... when that happens?
I live a very safe and sometimes overly protected life living in America. For now, as a Christian I am not being imprisoned or tormented in any way. I get to come and go, in and out of my church building without being challenged. But I wonder, have I breezed over this verse too easily, thinking that I didn't need it... enemies, what enemies? I don't even know what persecution feels like. Let's break this verse down and see how it applies to me. Who are my enemies? I will boldly say my enemies are any one that I hold judgement towards. People like this pop up in the strangest places! The grocery store, the highway, even my own home! A lack of love can rear up it's ugly face and rest right on mine without a moment's notice! I do have enemies. I seem to be very good at creating them on my own actually. My enemies don't attack me physically, they get to me in a much more subtle (deceptive) way, they get in through my mind. My prayer today is that God gives me a vision of what His love looks like. It's EASY to "love" someone I like!
Seek God on purpose and ask Him to show you more about love today!
Let's look at what LOVE IS...
Love is PATIENT ~ Love is KIND ~ Love rejoices with the TRUTH ~ Love always PROTECTS ~ Love always TRUSTS ~ Love always HOPES ~ Love always PERSEVERES!
Now let's look at what LOVE is NOT....
~ Love does not boast ~ Love is not proud ~ Love does not envy ~ Love is not rude ~ Love is not self seeking ~ Love is not easily angered ~ Love keeps no record of wrongs ~ Love does not delight in evil.
LOVE NEVER FAILS~ taken from 1 Corinthians 13
"But I tell you, LOVE your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44 NIV
.... when that happens?
I live a very safe and sometimes overly protected life living in America. For now, as a Christian I am not being imprisoned or tormented in any way. I get to come and go, in and out of my church building without being challenged. But I wonder, have I breezed over this verse too easily, thinking that I didn't need it... enemies, what enemies? I don't even know what persecution feels like. Let's break this verse down and see how it applies to me. Who are my enemies? I will boldly say my enemies are any one that I hold judgement towards. People like this pop up in the strangest places! The grocery store, the highway, even my own home! A lack of love can rear up it's ugly face and rest right on mine without a moment's notice! I do have enemies. I seem to be very good at creating them on my own actually. My enemies don't attack me physically, they get to me in a much more subtle (deceptive) way, they get in through my mind. My prayer today is that God gives me a vision of what His love looks like. It's EASY to "love" someone I like!
Seek God on purpose and ask Him to show you more about love today!
Let's look at what LOVE IS...
Love is PATIENT ~ Love is KIND ~ Love rejoices with the TRUTH ~ Love always PROTECTS ~ Love always TRUSTS ~ Love always HOPES ~ Love always PERSEVERES!
Now let's look at what LOVE is NOT....
~ Love does not boast ~ Love is not proud ~ Love does not envy ~ Love is not rude ~ Love is not self seeking ~ Love is not easily angered ~ Love keeps no record of wrongs ~ Love does not delight in evil.
LOVE NEVER FAILS~ taken from 1 Corinthians 13
Love this post! I never thought about my "enemies" as being people that I judge on a daily basis, but I think you're right on this one...anyone that I'm not loving could be considered my enemy in that moment.
ReplyDeleteThat's great insight! Thanks for sharing back LK!
DeleteWhen I read this post I couldn't help but think of the thousands of people I have come across at Hannaford. Ouch! I am SO quick to judge then by appearance only. A lot of times I am right, but sometimes I'm wrong. I need to love because God loved me when I wasn't lovely!
ReplyDeleteYou just hit the nail on the head-is that the right expression?! The more we understand how God loves us during our sin and what He has done to help redeem us... then, we will be freed up to love others more! Thank you for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteAmy, this is great insight and I love your everyday practical examples. It is a true test to love others who are difficult to love, a real acid test of what we profess as Christians. Thank you for sharing with us. God bless you, Hester :)
ReplyDeleteI seem to be so easily deceived (by myself!) that I need these "tests" to bring more awareness to where God and I are really at! Praise God for His patience and endless LOVE, that my mind can't even understand! Thank you so much Hester!
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