So, I teach a class of high school gems most Sunday mornings. I'm not going to lie, that gets tough sometimes. I don't do curriculums because I have a personal conviction that curriculums leave little room for the Holy Spirit to lead and take over, like only he can. That means that every week I try to come up with new lessons. I love jesus, and I'm in his word at least daily, but dude: coming up with a new Sunday School lesson each week takes it out of me. I'm constantly asking the Spirit to teach me new things so that I have new things to teach (and to blog about).
Well, a couple…or few…weeks ago the Holy Spirit just took over.
I wasn't going to teach this particular Sunday. Someone else was going to do it instead. But he and his wife are adopting, and the Lord may be blessing them with a new member of the family very soon! Congratulations to the Riker family; I cannot wait for baby Riker!
With this huge undertaking, they are a little busy. So I taught. And I'm happy to do it. I wish I could do more for them during this awesome time of their lives…But I hadn't been preparing. So last minute (literally, Sunday morning) I went to Starbucks and let the Holy Spirit take over. About 20 minutes later, I had a lesson, and is like to share it on my blog.
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
Jesus told us in Matthew 5:44 to love our enemies. But he didn't just tell us to do that and then set the opposite example, like we as Christians tend to do. He talked the talk and walked the walk. He set the example for us all throughout scripture, but especially in his last hours. Check out the crucifixion sorry for an example on how to love your enemy.
In light of the recent events in Boston, I think we as Christians should address some issues within ourselves. First:we can only love our enemies if we begin from a place of humility. Chrust tells us in Philippines 2:3 to think ofothers as greater than ourselves. He tells us in Matthew 7:3-5 that we should be concerned with our own short comings rather than with the short comings of others. He tells us Matthew 18:21-35 the parable of the unforgiving servant, and specifically, in verse 22 he says to forgive 70×7 times.
We start with humility. We focus on the log in our eye. We think of others as better than ourselves. Then we move to forgiveness. Because when we see ourselves honestly and in light of our sins, it gets much easier to forgive others.
Next:let's address the living them part. Besides all the earlier stuff, which helps us to begin to understand our enemies and maybe to even relate to them, we must really love them. Agape love. Here's how I see it, we must first really fall in love with God. When we fall in love with God, we begin to love what he loves and hate what he hates. He loves people. He hates sin. But he loves people. So when we fall in love with God we begin to fall in love with the people he too loves. But here's the real kicker. Everyone is made in God's image. You are. I am. They are (whoever you want "they" to mean). And guess what, even terrorists are. Even athieists, or muslims, or satanists, or jews, or anyone! They are all made in God's image. Meaning that when we truly fall in love with God, we begin to fall in love with his image… Every part of it.
For a much more historical and eloquent (and probably convincing) foray into loving one's enemies, read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's speech featured here: http://www.ipoet.com/archive/beyond/King-Jr/Loving-Your-Enemies.html
No matter what our enemy does, we are to love them. Otherwise it's hard to do the two biggest things we are to do as Christians–be Christlike and share the good news. You can't be Christ like if you don't love your enemies, and you have a difficult time sharing the good news with someone you hate.
So, I make this final plea… Love your enemy radically; follow jesus' example. Stop spewing hate. Let's do this Christian thing right–the way it was meant to be done. If you aren't loving your enemies and blessing those who curse you, how Christlike are you really being?
1 Thessolonians 5:15 "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else" (NIV)
