This month, our meditation has been excerpted from the book entitled Bound to be Free, compiled by Open Doors. In the following passage, the contribution of Constantin Caraman (imprisoned three times for his faith, in Romania) provides us with fodder for reflection and perhaps application:
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)
This is no easy assignment. We are inclined to dislike those who hurt us. The best thing we are able to do is to ignore them. But God requires something totally different. He wants us to bless those who hate us. To pray for those who persecute us. That seems impossible. Remember that blessing someone does not mean that we approve of his or her actions. In fact, we disapprove of their behavior, but they need God. That's why we need to pray for them, and bless them with the love of the Lord.
In His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:44-48), Jesus even tells us to love them. We ourselves could never find it in our hearts to love an enemy. It just goes against our nature. Where in the world will we find people who can? You will only find it in people who are no longer of this world, but now belong to the Kingdom of God.
In Christ, who forgave us first, we are able to do the unusual deed of embracing an enemy, of loving those who hate us, of praying for those who persecute us, of blessing those who curse us.
And so, through us, Christ can reach that hard heart, so that it may also discover Christ's forgiveness and have eternal life.
A moment of consideration: This world that we live in hates Jesus Christ. Through the years of tracking what’s on TV, for instance, Don Wildman has seen the repeated attack on Christ. For example, in a recent issue entitled "Network Programs Continue to Denigrate Christian Faith, Diminish Traditional Family, Promote Sexual Perversions," his American Family Association Journal summed up a recent TV quarter: The fall season, with the exception of Christmas specials, saw the continuance of network television's "politically correct" programming in almost every imaginable area; the denigrating of religion, particularly the Christian faith; the advocacy of homosexuality, mercy killing, promiscuity and teen sex; and the redefining of the concept of family to diminish traditional ideas. One can almost hear the cannonades of the enemy and feel the earth's shuddering from such attacks.
In this fallen age, we might take some time in considering, "Who is my enemy? Who be the person(s) who I deem my foe?" In this divided world we live in, one's enemy is often he, she, or they who oppose our will. They are our opposers. But even those who attack Christians around the world for our faith in Christ do so because of their hatred of Him. (John 15:18-25) Without a cause men hated Christ; and without a cause He loves them. We stand for Him and so they hate and oppose us. What does Christ say we should do toward our enemies? Love them and pray for them (Matthew 5:43-48); do good to those who hate you. (Luke 6:27-36)
The question for us would be, "do we obey the teaching of our Savior or not?" Some Christians have the same idea about the commandments of God as a little boy who was playing with his sister. A most unpleasant woman who lived nearby had been finding fault with them, and the boy said, "I just hate her!" His little sister, greatly shocked, said, "Oh no! The Bible says we must love everyone." "Oh well," he remarked, "old Mrs. Blank wasn't born when that was written." In the same way the disobedient Christian always finds an excuse. Hatred often leads to violence. In fact, as François de la Rochefoucauld remarked, "When our hatred is violent, it sinks us even below those we hate." Today, we see hatred all around us--often violent, demonstrating what our society is at its core; we see a sick society. "When one lives, not by what one loves but by what one hates, one is a sick person." (Archibald MacLeish) We are a divided society, brought low by hatred.
In the body of Christ, though, we have joined in the chorus of a recent Christian song: Wonderful, Merciful Savior
Wonderful, merciful Savior,
Precious Redeemer and Friend,
Who would've thought that a Lamb could
Rescue the souls of men?
Oh, You rescue the souls of men,
Counselor, Comforter, Keeper,
Spirit we long to embrace;
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost our way.
Oh, we've hopelessly lost the way.
We knowingly serve a merciful Savior, and likewise know that the heavenly Father Himself is merciful. We acknowledge our proclivity toward hatred and confess our waywardness that leads us to give to others what the world gives to us, an eye for an eye, etc. But Christ who, in His mercy, rescues the souls of men and women, offers us hope in our moments of weakness. May we as well mercifully act toward others today.
How might we respond to our merciful Savior and God? We keep in mind that our struggle is not against earthly foes, but against rulers, authorities and cosmic powers over this present darkness--against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Hence, we need God's full armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) How can we overcome the bent toward hatred toward people, that the world would foist upon us? As Mr. Caraman has stated, "we ourselves could never find it in our hearts to love an enemy. It just goes against our nature." Do we join the haters? Does Constantin's observation trouble us? As Christians, we move ever closer to Christ's example, don't we? As He has kept His Father's commands, ought we not ourselves to obey Christ's commands? (John 15:9-14)
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
As Christ responded to the world's hatred of Him by loving them, so also might we. We must somehow strive to overcome our human nature and take upon us His divine nature, being so molded by the divine Potter. Thus we might abide in Christ and He in us. Through Him we can pray for, love, bless and forgive our enemies. Remember Constantin's words: Remember that blessing someone does not mean that we approve of his or her actions. In fact, we disapprove of their behavior, but they need God. That's why we need to pray for them, and bless them with the love of the Lord.
The ones who oppose the Lord's will are people like us, whose positions blind them even as the devil does. In their blindness, they fall prey to the devil by treating others according to their distorted will. For us believers it behooves us, in Christ's likeness, to show mercy to all we meet--fellow believers, and those who've surrendered to the devil's claim. In Luke 6:36, Christ commanded us to "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." May we show God's mercy to others. There are many opportunities to show God's characteristics to others. So may we show others not hatred, but God's own mercy--His undeserved grace--and let the recipients of our mercy experience God's presence and the hope that we believers share.