Greetings,
i remember some years ago, a man i had visited in prison and taken him a gift he appreciated, gave me a gift when he got out. It was a very nice leather jacket and i did need one as i always rode without one prior to that. Then, one day, later, another man was cunning towards me and set me up, so to speak, using the words from the Bible about if a man asks of you, give. He had been coveting my leather jacket and made a precise move to get it from me. Perhaps rather naive, but wanting to prove that i stood by my belief in what Jesus instructed, i gave my prized jacket to him. It was hard for my flesh to do but easy to follow the direction of the Lord, so i chose the easy way! {He did say to take up His yoke for it is easy and we find rest in it and Him}
This man also conned me of a very nice generator that i used to run my washing machine at the time. [it was back to the hand powered one after that]. He was quite gloatful about how he had conned me and sold the generator the same day. I was a little hurt and told him so.
However, after he had my jacket, he changed and was somewhat in awe about the message i was, and had been, telling him. If he ever came to the Lord as his Saviour i do not know but i do know he was taken back and was thinking hard and that he looked at me in a different light [mind you, he never gave me the jacket back!] [i never had a leather jacket again but since i usually rode barefooted and helmet-less, it was not really that much of a big deal - it was the thought of it all, that was my mountain to get over]
Some things we loose and some things we give away but at the end of it all, we entered with nothing and we will take nothing with us and through all the losses we can rejoice that there is one thing that can never be taken away from us and that is our hope and the love we are loved with by our Beloved, Who emptied Himself and gave all [though others thought they took it] for you and me all all who love Him and are the called according to His purpose.
Another take on 'if your enemy...', is that we all have a common enemy but each has his own, so to speak, and that is his flesh. But, again, thanks be to God Who has given us the Victory. I remember that Winston Churchill was known for giving the victory sign, by raising his index and middle finger [a form of a V] but we also know that raising those two fingers to someone is rather rude and telling them where to go, so with the Victory He gives us we can tell the enemy that wants us to do wrong or react wrongly, our flesh, where to go, by doing good.
It is not so much about what other people do or not, but what we do when the sudden impulse comes upon us, like a lightning flash, that matters. Once we were bound in darkness and had no means to overcome, but through Christ we now can be Overcomers. Of course, other people wil be like enemies to us but we can treat them the same way. When resistance or a stumbling stone is suddenly in our way [which is what enemies tend to do and be about - taking the peace we have and everything with it] it is our choice to either follow the way of the enmity or to yield ourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
The LORD is our shelter and shade and He is the good Shepherd Who has only our best interest in His mind and heart.
Being 'robbed' of everything in the world leaves us with Jesus. I know Whom i would rather serve.
Bless you ....><>
ps... when i saw the title of this thread, i thought it was addressed to me; unworhty as i am, He loves me.
Brilliant message brother,
Winston Churchill being the good man he was, raised his two fingers as you mention with his hand facing away from him, giving a true V for Victory sign. Being a good man he knew what it meant to turn his hand the other way and make a rude response. There is a right way and a wrong way for all things his action was clear.
Nicks message is also excellent, thank you Nick. Having just mentioned Winston Churchill, the word politician comes to mind. How the world needs countries with leaders that would not respond evil for evil, evil threats for evil threats. It is easy for us to say I think, look at Israel, threats from most sides daily, and many carrying them out. The world today is more frightening than ever before, from a worldly prospective, nuclear arms a real threat, Iran one of Israel's neighbours is building up plutonium, it has missiles that are now capable of taking a nuclear war heads and they are threaten to use them. How would we deal with that threat, offer the other cheek? That said, I feel being PM of a country is different to the situation Nick and Br. Bear are discussing here.
Winston Churchill words come to mind at this point, 'Evil prevails when good men do nothing'. Evil prevails when good men do nothing. Imagine here if he had not acted when he did, imagine hitler as our leader now. Scripture tells us there will be wars and rumours of wars, evil has to be defeated, evil will be defeated.
But what Jesus was saying was not to a leader of a country, it was to everyone who comes to God, though Him and is saved. As a saved soul, our enemy is the devil, our enemy is the father of all lost souls, our enemy comes through all none believers. That is why Jesus said...
Matthew 5:44-46 NIV
"Love your enemies (those who hate us) and pray for those who persecute you, (Why?) that you may be children of your Father in heaven…If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?"
Br. Bear was given a leather jacket, he liked the jacket very much, he tells us so. He was 'conned' by a smart alex, who coveted the jacket, Br. Bear gave the other person the jacket, in love. Then the same man thinking no doubt he was clever, comes again and gets a generator also. What did Br. Bear lose? Nothing! What did the man gain, nothing of worth, he made a few dollars on the generator that he no doubt squandered on booze or similar, they were material things, material things that don't last, the only thing the man gained was additional sins to his already massive list that one day he will have to answer for.
If we truly appreciate we have nothing in this life, everything we feel we have, was given to us by God, some like food and clothing are part of our daily bread, daily needs, then we really have nothing to lose by sharing what we have been given as we help others and bring Glory to God. Can someone steal what we do not own? It is when we believe they are ours that bitterness and hateful thoughts emerge, God blesses those who give, He blesses those who are faithful to Him, it is when we give generously and do not bow to those who con us, that hot coals are heaped on the other persons head, they cannot understand why we are not upset.
We come into the world with nothing, we leave it with nothing, except sin or salvation, each will be judged as God says they will be judged. The more we have in this world, the more we have to lose and the more we feel we have to protect, the more we fear will be stolen, but the more we give in love the more at peace we are, the happier we are, and as stewards of what God has given us we have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
Where our treasures are our heart is also.
Blessings
