The life that Christ lived and the directions he gave His church contradicted the preconceived notions that the Israelites had about their "Messiah." They expected a leader that would come with military might and free them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. Instead they got a man that hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes. He healed the child of an enemy leader. Together, with his ragtag group of twelve apostles, he broke the laws of the Sabbath, insulted the religious leaders of the day with accusations of impurity and then confounded the teachers of the Law with simple but revolutionary answers to their questions. He began a revolution that has impacted the world like no other man, before or since. The example of the life that He lived and the sacrificial manner in which he died provides all of His followers with a standard that is impossible to attain without the help of God in the form of his Holy Spirit.
As we near the anniversary of September 11, I'm reminded again of some of the most difficult instructions He gave us. The following scriptures have been "bouncing around" inside of me for a few days, now. Bits and pieces of them have been at the back of my mind as I work each day. I thought that if I gathered them all in one place, and prayed over them, they would become easier to follow. Here's the list:
Matt 6:43-48, “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.
"If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Romans 12:14, "If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them."
Romans 12:17-20, "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: 'If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.' Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good."
Matt 5: 38-39, “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.’ But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too."
Luke 6:27-36, "But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.
"If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. Do for others as you would like them to do for you. Do you think you deserve credit merely for loving those who love you? Even the sinners do that! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for a full return.
"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate."
As I type these words I pray that God helps me gain fresh insight into these scriptures. I think it is very important to draw a distinction between personal injustices and those carried out against a nation. Each of the above listed scriptures deals with personal injustices. The Bible demonstrates, on multiple occasions, that war is necessary at times to punish a nation that defies God's commands. Now, the question becomes, who is qualified to make the decision to go to war? Who decides that a war is "just?" Are our leaders being led by God in their decisions to go to war?
A "Just War" can only be precipitated on the basis of gross injustices to the general populace of a nation (i.e. a direct defiance of God's will). Once those injustices have been brought to a halt, the peace process must immediately begin with pure motives of providing a foundation for continuing peace. When a nation goes to war for any other reason (say, economic gain...) the war is not justified, and Christians should stand up and say so--we must also speak up when we feel that civilian populations are unnecessarily being placed at risk. In a "just" war, I believe that it is the duty of Christians to serve when called upon--it's very difficult to claim the love of God while stepping aside and allowing innocent people to be harmed by tyrants that refuse to recognize the value of life. Jesus himself demonstrated to us that it is our place to step up and defend the defenseless when He stopped an angry mob from stoning an adulteress. He also showed that there are creative ways that the lives of defenseless people can be protected without resorting to violence.
Unquestionably, it is the role of every Christian to pray throughout any war for peace. We are to pray for the salvation of all involved parties. We must also pray for God's will to be manifest here on Earth. We must pray for the leaders of the involved nations that they are led by God to pursue peace as the ultimate goal. We should pray that everyone involved uses no more force than that which is absolutely necessary to accomplish this goal, and that they do so without risk to civilian populations. We must pray that our leaders motives remain pure. We must also respond appropriately when it is obvious that their motives are not pure or when they are placing the civilian population at risk.
Civil authorities are also given the right to use necessary force to secure individual freedoms within our society. Police officers must be able to respond with appropriate force when faced with a situation that places the citizens they are responsible for in a position of danger. Our society has very strict laws in place to ensure that our civil authorities understand the definition of "necessary force." Christians in positions of authority must be very careful to act within these carefully defined boundaries.
Now, how do we respond to personal attacks? As instructed by Christ. It won't be easy, but we can do all things with the strength provided by God, through Christ. It is the example we provide, when faced with personal injustices, that will prove to the world that we are truly followers of Christ.
We also prove our Christianity when we speak up for anyone whose rights are being violated regardless of the city, state or country in which they live, and regardless of their religious beliefs and lifestyle. If it is our own government that is violating the rights of others, then we must stand up and say so. Christ himself did not remain silent when witness to the injustices and hypocrisy of the legal and religious authorities of His day.
God, I continue to pray for your wisdom and discernment regarding these matters. Please lead me in the direction You would have me go. Help me live my life in accordance with Your will. I pray that your will is carried out here on Earth as it is in Heaven. I pray for peace and for your guidance of all world leaders and civic authorities. Amen.
As we near the anniversary of September 11, I'm reminded again of some of the most difficult instructions He gave us. The following scriptures have been "bouncing around" inside of me for a few days, now. Bits and pieces of them have been at the back of my mind as I work each day. I thought that if I gathered them all in one place, and prayed over them, they would become easier to follow. Here's the list:
Matt 6:43-48, “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.
"If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Romans 12:14, "If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them."
Romans 12:17-20, "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: 'If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.' Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good."
Matt 5: 38-39, “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.’ But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too."
Luke 6:27-36, "But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.
"If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. Do for others as you would like them to do for you. Do you think you deserve credit merely for loving those who love you? Even the sinners do that! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for a full return.
"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate."
As I type these words I pray that God helps me gain fresh insight into these scriptures. I think it is very important to draw a distinction between personal injustices and those carried out against a nation. Each of the above listed scriptures deals with personal injustices. The Bible demonstrates, on multiple occasions, that war is necessary at times to punish a nation that defies God's commands. Now, the question becomes, who is qualified to make the decision to go to war? Who decides that a war is "just?" Are our leaders being led by God in their decisions to go to war?
A "Just War" can only be precipitated on the basis of gross injustices to the general populace of a nation (i.e. a direct defiance of God's will). Once those injustices have been brought to a halt, the peace process must immediately begin with pure motives of providing a foundation for continuing peace. When a nation goes to war for any other reason (say, economic gain...) the war is not justified, and Christians should stand up and say so--we must also speak up when we feel that civilian populations are unnecessarily being placed at risk. In a "just" war, I believe that it is the duty of Christians to serve when called upon--it's very difficult to claim the love of God while stepping aside and allowing innocent people to be harmed by tyrants that refuse to recognize the value of life. Jesus himself demonstrated to us that it is our place to step up and defend the defenseless when He stopped an angry mob from stoning an adulteress. He also showed that there are creative ways that the lives of defenseless people can be protected without resorting to violence.
Unquestionably, it is the role of every Christian to pray throughout any war for peace. We are to pray for the salvation of all involved parties. We must also pray for God's will to be manifest here on Earth. We must pray for the leaders of the involved nations that they are led by God to pursue peace as the ultimate goal. We should pray that everyone involved uses no more force than that which is absolutely necessary to accomplish this goal, and that they do so without risk to civilian populations. We must pray that our leaders motives remain pure. We must also respond appropriately when it is obvious that their motives are not pure or when they are placing the civilian population at risk.
Civil authorities are also given the right to use necessary force to secure individual freedoms within our society. Police officers must be able to respond with appropriate force when faced with a situation that places the citizens they are responsible for in a position of danger. Our society has very strict laws in place to ensure that our civil authorities understand the definition of "necessary force." Christians in positions of authority must be very careful to act within these carefully defined boundaries.
Now, how do we respond to personal attacks? As instructed by Christ. It won't be easy, but we can do all things with the strength provided by God, through Christ. It is the example we provide, when faced with personal injustices, that will prove to the world that we are truly followers of Christ.
We also prove our Christianity when we speak up for anyone whose rights are being violated regardless of the city, state or country in which they live, and regardless of their religious beliefs and lifestyle. If it is our own government that is violating the rights of others, then we must stand up and say so. Christ himself did not remain silent when witness to the injustices and hypocrisy of the legal and religious authorities of His day.
God, I continue to pray for your wisdom and discernment regarding these matters. Please lead me in the direction You would have me go. Help me live my life in accordance with Your will. I pray that your will is carried out here on Earth as it is in Heaven. I pray for peace and for your guidance of all world leaders and civic authorities. Amen.
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