For many years, I have thought about the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us a list of nine virtues, characteristics of Jesus Christ, which should be produced in the life of someone who has been crucified with Christ and given new life through the Spirit. Paul names them: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of Spiritual Fruit. One time I did a study and came up with at least nine more, gleaned from similar lists throughout the New Testament: hope, thanksgiving, generosity, hospitality, perseverance, forgiveness, forbearance, mercy, & zeal. Surely there are many more virtues which we as Christians should cultivate in our lives in sincere imitation of Jesus Christ, but this is a start.
A couple of months ago, I finished 100 Days of Thanks--blogging through Psalm 100 for 100 days and giving thanks for three specific things each day. It was a transformational experience for me, and I've been looking for something similar to do ever since, perhaps concentrating on one thought or virtue for a week, or a month, at a time. So today, I begin blogging through the fruit of the Spirit, starting with love.
LOVE
"You have heard that it was said,
'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you,
love your enemies,
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those who spitefully use you
and persecute you,
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven...
Therefore you shall be perfect,
just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Matthew 5:43-48, NKJV
When I started thinking about this new blogging project, I thought to myself, let's see what Jesus had to say about love. So I went to my favorite online Bible resource and did a word search. How surprised was I to find that the first time you hear the word love in the New Testament, it's from the mouth of Jesus--and it's about your enemies.
One time when I was reading through the Psalms, I started keeping track of things David said about his enemies. Here are some of my favorites, paraphrased by yours truly:
God, chase my enemy down a dark and slippery path. Pull his shorts up over his head, spin him around, and confuse him.
God, turn the weapons of my enemy back on him!
As a pastor pointed out to me once, David was living in a time when his enemies were out to kill him, literally. I was told, "We're not living under that kind of threat today." I thought to myself, you may not be, but I've encountered some pretty mean church people in my day! But the point is true; to my knowledge, I don't really have anyone around me who is plotting my death or downfall. If you are, please keep it to yourself. I need to sleep at night.
And of course, we always have the devil to contend with, a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
But Jesus defined our enemy this way: Does anyone curse you? Do they hate you or despitefully use you? Does anyone persecute your? If they do, that's your enemy. Our natural instinct is to hurl curses and insults back at the ones who verbally abuse us. We think, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me! We want vengeance (or at the very least, justice) wreaked on our enemies because of the wrong they have done to us. But Jesus expects something quite different from us.
He says to love them.
Show them the love that God has shown you, even when you were his own enemy. For you did not love God first, God loved you first. You did not choose God, God chose you by love. So we need to direct that love toward others, especially the ones who are undeserving of it.
Are you kidding me? someone might think. Indeed, I am not. And I've had some personal experience with this. In four decades of living, there are a few people who hurt me. And I'm not talking about Jr. High punks who called me names or picked on me at recess. I'm not talking about little blondes who turned me down and broke my heart in High School. There have been some full grown, mature adults, many calling themselves my brother or sister in Christ, who have wronged me, who have cursed me and mine, who have used and abused me. There have been some who have hated me, and perhaps even hate me still.
I've had to learn to love them.
I've had to discipline myself to smile with sincerity and greet them warmly, even though I wanted to hold them at arm's length and guard against a knife in my back. I've had to resist the desire to literally spit, or spew insults, and instead utter words that were sickening to me: I love you. And why? Because Jesus said to. And I've got to tell you, it's more than just outward actions and spoken words. It's got to be a heart thing for it to do any good.
Instead of wanting to run people down with my car because of the damage they did to me, I've had to learn to love them. One day while working in the yard, the hot sun beating down on my neck, sweat pouring from my face, dirt and grass clinging to my skin, I was really going after someone in my mind. Things I wanted to tell them. Things I wanted to do to them. Things I wish would happen to them. Like the earth opening up and swallowing them whole. Like lightning from heaven scorching them to a black spot on the sidewalk. And then the Lord spoke to me and said, "Why don't you pray for them." My response was, "Haven't you been listening, God? I HAVE been praying for them. Lightning and earthquakes, God!" But Jesus told us to pray for them, and to bless them. How bitter those words tasted in my mouth the first time I had to do it! But how sweet it was, when the words began to take hold in my heart.
I'll also tell you this: vindication is no fun. When justice (not vengeance) is finally fulfilled, it is not a reward to those who have waited for it. I have lived long enough to see justice done on some of my enemies, on some who cursed and hated and abused and persecuted and reviled me, and it is not pretty. And just when it seemed that God had indeed heard my prayers and finally avenged me, the Lord speaks again and says, "Go do something good for that one." Are you kidding me, God? Do you know what they said about me, what the did to me?
I promise you, God does indeed know...but we need to leave the scorekeeping to Him. We don't have all the facts. We can't see the fate and future of those who have harmed us. So we need to put those things from our mind and do what God expects us to do. We don't do bad to them; if bad needs to be done, God is the fair and balanced judge of how to handle those things. Instead, we do good to them. We bless them. We minister to their needs. We assist them if we can. We keep showing them the love of Christ.
For who knows--perhaps loving our enemy will turn them into a friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment