How can I love my enemies, those who want to kill me? My
first impulse is to destroy them first. However, this is not the way of my
Savior, who wants me to trust in Him:
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“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not
envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like
the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend
faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of
your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will
bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the
one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain
from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For
the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit
the land.” (Psalms 37:1-9; ESV)
The evildoer might be my enemy, but I must do good to him,
but how? By entrusting myself the the One who loves me and has given His life
for me!
If there were no guarantees of eventual justice, I would
have to take justice into my own vengeful hands, a vengeance that would dominate
me. If there was no guarantee of a blessed eternal life with my Savior, evil
could snatch away all that I have.
Instead, He assures me that evil is impotent. It can only
consume the crumbs that fall from my plate, the flesh that cloths me for the
moment.
Evil is but a doorway to the Promised Land. It is the storm
that is followed by the rainbow. It is my life-coach, teaching me to set my
hope on the things above.
My Lord gives me the courage to look in the face of evil
without hatred. He reminds me of His heaven, of a fragrance that overcomes the
evil's stench, of an aroma that will never fade. He can even give me compassion
for the prisoners of darkness, the servants of the lie.
Obedience to love unlocks the door to love. He requires me
to embrace the lost if I want to embrace joy and confidence.
Faith demands action. Giving to my enemy scales the wall of
fear and threat. Running away only adds to them. Only the train in forward
motion can scale a tall mountain.
Please understand, I am not suggesting that we cave in
before injustice. Rather, we must pursue love and justice as we trust in our
Lord's ways alone!
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