It's so difficult to bless your enemies, and yet God tells us to feed our hungry enemies, and give them water if they are thirsty. It says we will heap burning coals of shame on their heads and the Lord will reward us, (Prov. 25:21,22). What we're doing is letting God's hand of grace and mercy bless the situation and soften the hearts of those who mistreat us.
If we could see the outcome of this unconditional act of kindness before we practiced it, it would be so much easier, but that would defeat part of God's blessing/reward towards our obedience to His word. The more we let God work in us, the more we come to know Him. After all, this is not just to open the other persons eyes, but it's a beneficial exercise that gives us a closer view to the heart of God. What a testimony for us to be able to spread God's love to others and see His hand of work in the lives of numerous people because we obeyed His word. By taking us (our emotions, our selfishness, our greed) out of the equation, God is free to work in and to touch hearts. He doesn't really need our help, does He? Our enemies will not be able to strike back at us because we will be extending mercy and grace and not emotional or physical aggression. When we fight back, it keeps the fight going. When we let God, He becomes our defense - and He never loses!
So as we're living this month of thankfulness, I want to make a personal challenge to myself and anyone else who is interested to see this scripture come to life. I want to allow others to see the Jesus in me. I want to witness God's blessing as I yield my will to His and allow the Holy Spirit to work through me to bless to bless my enemies. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
If you have an example where this has already played out in your life, please recently share it in this blog. If you're interested in joining the challenge, let me know.
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