One of my favorite New
Testament scriptures is Ephesians 6:12. It informs us of the identity of our
actual enemy. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (NKJV)
You are not my enemy,
and I am not your enemy.
All too often, CARNAL
THINKING (which is tantamount to stinkin’-thinkin’) causes us to believe that
our “enemy” is someone who may be lacking in cordiality, i.e. they did not
speak to us today, or someone who seems to be somewhat indifferent or even dismissive
of us. Guess what? In the vast majority
of cases, your enemy is not someone who you can see with the natural eye. You have only one true enemy, and his name is
Satan, the archenemy of your soul.
So we must stop seeing
others who merely disagree with our ideas or decisions as the enemy. In truth, they could be an essential deposit
of wisdom, blessings and favor in our lives. At the very least, occasional friction will
likely produce personal growth and development in the long-term.
People are not your
enemy. Indeed, they are your sisters and
brothers.
Erich Remarque’s book,
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” tells of a remarkable encounter between two
enemy soldiers during World War II. In
the heat of battle, a German soldier took shelter in a crater that had been
formed by artillery shells. After a
while, he noticed an enemy combatant nearby. This man was dying and the German soldier’s
heart went out to him. He gave the dying
soldier water from his canteen and listened as he spoke lovingly of his wife
and children. And he located the wallet
of his ‘enemy’ so he could look at pictures of his family one last time.
During that
compassionate encounter these two soldiers ceased to be enemies. The German saw the wounded soldier in a new
way; not as an enemy combatant but as a father, a husband, someone who loves
and is loved, someone much like himself.
We are empowered to
enter the path of peace and reconciliation when we learn to COMPASSIONATELY SEE
OTHERS and to recognize in them someone similar to ourselves. Let’s not live our lives in a knee-jerk
manner. Before we patently reject
someone because they look, think, speak, or act differently from us, let’s really
try to look at them in a completely different way. After all, that person is an individual who,
just like us, is striving to make it through this journey called life.
Sisters and brothers,
be continually blessed and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO
MEET YOUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
No comments:
Post a Comment