Feed my enemies? Really!
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Stuck On
Getting Rid Of
The Deadwood in Life,
Or
Living in the Light?
Proverbs 25:21-22
If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.
Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Words of Grace For Today
When we go through life keeping a ledger, even just sort of in our heads, of good things we’ve done balancing out the bad things we’ve done, working to tip the balance towards the good in order to be pleased with ourselves, well then ….
Then we will of course do good to those who can return the favour, and we will lend a hand to those who will help us in return.
But if we are followers of Christ then that all changes.
For we do not need to keep a ledger and tip the balance towards good so that God will accept us, bless us, and give us life abundant. No, God, already long before we recognized our own sins, accepts us, forgives us, blesses us and gives us life abundant. Then not only do we do good for those who can return the same to us, lending as we are able, we also do good especially for those who cannot or will not return good to us or others.
The truly needy, will always find a way to return goodness to others as they can. They understand what it is to be in need, on the edge of surviving. And our enemies, who may choose to return evil for the good we do them will only demonstrate their refusal of God’s blessings yet again. How that ends for them is in God’s hands, though one cannot expect it will be great, just as when we refuse God’s acceptance, forgiveness, blessings and abundant life we can expect that it will not go well for us.
So how will we live today: trying to balance the ledger that God has already washed away in the waters of baptism,
OR
will we give our all as God has givens us so abundantly to do?
With out choices this day, which world do we choose to live in?