Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Our culture is not known for compassion or kindness. Screens and wheels bring out the worst in us. We “cancel” those with whom we disagree and run others off the road. Why are we so angry? Why is it no longer OK to make a mistake? And why do we always assume the worst in the other person?

Sadly, many Christ-followers are not so different from the rest of the world. We are easily offended. We hold grudges. We curse at the people who cut us off. We use our words as weapons while hiding behind our screens. 

This should not be. Jesus calls his followers to a life of holiness. We are called to be set apart in word, action, and deed. 

This past weekend, Christine Sweeney spoke to some of the hard parts of the Sermon on the Mount. The part about loving our enemies stung a little. I can’t say I have a lot of “enemies,” but I do know that I like certain people better than others. Jesus wasn’t like that. He loved those who hated him. He prayed for those who killed him. He personally visited Paul to confront his hatred, and the confrontation changed Paul’s life. 

Paul went from a hater of Christians to a radical follower of Christ. Throughout the New Testament letters, Paul is constantly drawing us to live a life that is radically different. 

Romans 12:17-19
¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

How can we respond in love to those who are our enemies? What does that look like? 

It is cleaning up someone’s mess without complaining. It’s sending a meal to an angry, lonely neighbor. It’s closing out of social media before we get angry. It is leaving words unsaid. 

A whispered prayer can change someone’s eternity. 

We really never know what is happening in the heart of another person. Everyone is bearing a hidden hurt that we can influence by how we respond. We may never know how a kind word or action could transform them, but really, that doesn’t matter. We love others because Christ loved us. And that is enough.

Questions: 
Who are some “enemies” in your life? How can you show them the love of Jesus this week?

Next Steps: 
Take some time this week to ask God to reveal ways you have consciously or unconsciously repaid evil for evil. Ask God to make you sensitive to how your responses to others reflect or do not reflect Christ in you.

Prayer: 
Heavenly Father, if I’m honest with myself, I don’t really like many people. People hurt others and don’t seem to care. Forgive my hard heart. Forgive the times I respond out of my flesh and not out of your love. Help me to love like you do. Help me see people for who they really are, images of you. Give me wisdom to put down screens when they are a problem. I pray that others see you through my life. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

1 John 4:10-11
¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 

This post was written by Julie Mabus, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.