Do Good for Your Enemies - Lent
with Bonhoeffer Day 38– Purity 1010
Purity 1010 04/06/2023 Purity 1010 Podcast
Purity 1010 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a water pathway leading to the
thawing waters of Gilbert Lake comes to us from a FB friend who shared this scene
on social media two days ago commenting that it was a nice day for a walk at
Gilbert Lake State Park and with the ice melting, they were “getting ready to
get a line wet soon.” While “fishing is also
featured”, Gilbert State Park has cabins
and campsites and more than 12 miles of interconnecting trails for hikers,
skiers, snowmobilers and snowshoers. Playgrounds and a disc golf course, as
well as swimming, boat rentals, boating (car top/hard bottom boats) are also activities
you can enjoy at Gilbert Lake State Park’s lake and three ponds that lie in the
wooded, hilly terrain in the foothills of the Catskills, in Laurens NY.
The park is a 2 hour car drive away from my home,
Riverside or Countryside, and just may need to be added to the “go and see”
list of the possible places to go this summer.
The park’s website and virtual tour reveal that the swimming facilities
are a bit quaint but the cabins seem impressive ((https://parks.ny.gov/parks/19/details.aspx)
and so I am sharing the link on the blog if you want to take a look and
consider whether you want to “go and see” it for yourself.
Well, it’s Thursday and am sharing this “water
pathway” picture at Gilbert Lake State park (how cool would it be to go there and
find this location, to stand in our friend’s footsteps?) as a visual representation of a path that
leads to something “bigger” to represent the path of Christian discipleship that
leads to the really big things of finding our meaning, purpose, and freedom in
Christ.
Just like our friend has peaked our interest in
Gilbert Lake State Park, I write this blog and do this podcast in an attempt to
encourage others to “go and see” what the Lord has waiting for you when you
decide to follow Him in earnest.
I am rejoicing this morning because I have received
the healing for Tuesday’s stomach bug, thank you for your prayers, and because
last night I completed leading the final freedom appointment on my schedule with
a successful resolution and the very fact that I have been given the privilege of
this ministry simply blows my mind! Don’t
get me wrong, I pursued it and did the necessary course work and training that
is required to be a certified CFMA with Freedom in Christ ministries but even
when I completed the training I didn’t realize just how vast the scope of this
ministry would be.
Last night’s participant lives in Texas, by way of
India! The gentleman I led through Monday’s appointment lives in New Jersey, by
way of the Dominican Republic! A previous participant lives in North Carolina
by way of Nigeria! Because of where the Lord placed me and guided me into
becoming an online discipleship course leader, I have encouraged men from all
over the United States, with some hailing from other countries! This doesn’t happen in my life without Christ!
When you decided to seek the Lord’s will for your life and follow where He
leads you, your life becomes transformed into an amazing adventure of faith, meaning,
and purpose.
I am so humbled by the goodness of God that I am
going to go to a nearby Lutheran church tonight for a Maundy Thursday
service. That’ll be a first but I figure
the Lord put that on my heart, to inspire me and to seek it out, and I feel compelled
to “go and see” what I will find.
Yup, It’s Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday and we
are again sharing a link on the blog to let those who are curious to “know what
that is exactly” (https://www.gotquestions.org/Maundy-Thursday.html) . That
comes to us from the folks at gotquestions.org which I have discovered is good
resource for those who “got questions” about our faith. So if you “got
questions” they provide “Biblical Answers”.
Speaking of questions and answers, I think its time
to continue our current series, on this 38th day of Lent, with Day
38 of the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
As a reminder, and as we will say each day of this
journey, we take this path to mark the season of Lent and to draw closer to God
in anticipation of the celebration of Easter, knowing that if we take this
journey of repentance seriously, we will not only see the days and seasons
change, the Lord will use it to change us too.
You can sign up to get this devotional yourself by
going to the Biblegateway link on the blog ((https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/40-Day-Journey-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/today)) .
Day 38
Bonhoeffer writes:
“Words and thoughts are not enough.
Doing good involves all the things of daily life.
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are
thirsty, give them something to drink” (Romans 12:20).
In the same ways that brothers and sisters stand by each
other in times of need, bind up each other’s wounds, ease each other’s pain,
love of the enemy should do good to the enemy.
Where in the world is there greater need, where are deeper
wounds and pain than those of our enemies?
Where is doing good more necessary and more blessed than
for our enemies?”
Biblical Wisdom
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those
who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Luke 6:27-28
Questions to Ponder
- Does it seem
counterintuitive to “do good to the enemy”? Why, or why not?
M.T. Clark: Is it counterintuitive to “do good to the enemy? Why, Yes, Yes it is! Before His coming nobody
taught the things that Jesus taught, and certainly not without the authority
that Jesus had. Most of His teachings
confounded the teachers of the Mosaic Laws because Jesus had firsthand
knowledge of the Author’s intentions and He taught beyond the letter of the law
to the Spirit of the law.
Thus most of his teachings would present current understandings
of the law and explain that there was a deeper understanding that involved the
heart. God doesn’t want us to just “follow the rules”, He wants us to live from
the Spirit of His heart, to love righteousness and not to even think about
deviating from His pure way even if the word doesn’t specifically address a “grey”
area. It’s counterintuitive to do good
for your enemy, because your enemy by definition will not be seeking to do good
for you, but could actively pursue your harm or destruction!
But Christ’s example shows us that we don’t overcome evil with
force, we overcome evil through love and the good we do for our enemy may change
everything. Our acts of service or kindness may change everything as our
gestures of love may cause their hearts to change, transforming an enemy into a
brother or sister in Christ.
- Why should the needs of our
enemies matter to us?
M.T. Clark: The needs of our enemy should matter to us because
they are lacking in the biggest way possible. They are spiritually dead and
headed for hell. They need Jesus and if we can meet some other need of theirs
as a pathway of leading them to faith in Jesus Christ we should try to meet it.
This could cause us to have peace with our enemy but more importantly this
could cause them to find peace with God through Jesus Christ!
- What happens to the word
“enemy” if we follow Bonhoeffer’s advice and treat them like brothers and
sisters?
M.T. Clark: The word “enemy”
could be transformed to “friend”, “loved one” or “brother” or “sister” when we
treat them like siblings in Christ. When
we authentically and continually show and share the love of God to someone, the
chances of their remaining our enemy decrees. But regardless of results, the Lord calls us
to love our enemies and out of our love for Him we should seek to be obedient.
Psalm Fragment
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is always with me. Psalm 119:98
Journal Reflections
- Does Jesus command to: “Love
your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you” give you strength and vision for
living in the midst of enemies? Why, or why not?
M.T. Clark: Yes, it does give me strength because it changes the
way I look at them. Our human view of an
enemy would cause us to defeat them. God’s view of our enemy, makes us realize
that we ourselves were enemies of God and only need to know the truth and the
love of God to be saved and changed to His children. So Christ’s command reminds us of this
sobering fact and causes us to humbly seek to obey this otherwise contradictory
commandment.
- Jesus teaching seems to call
for non-violence in dealing with our enemies. Reflect in writing what you
think about that.
M.T. Clark: Jesus didn’t defend Himself even to death. Not
raising a hand to someone in violence would certainly follow the example He set
for us. However, we need to be
discerning and answer the Lord’s call on our lives into where ever He may lead
us. In the moment, we may be called to use violent or other means to stop evil.
We must listen to our hearts but always seek to, wherever it depends on us, to
be peace makers.
Intercessions
Pray that your
“enemies” might receive every good from the hand of God and in response become
instruments of God’s love and justice.
Lord,
I pray for those who are hostile to me personally, or to our Christian
faith, would receive good from Your Hand and in response become instruments of
Your love and justice. I know that You good over came my evil and I pray for my
enemies to receive the same good and grace that can give them peace with You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen,
Prayer for Today
Holy God who loves
us all with an everlasting love, let my love for my enemies be a matter not
only of words or thoughts but of specific and concrete actions.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
(40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007
Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.)
***As we are being
provided with Bible verses from the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we
will are taking a break from sharing a verse of the day from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. We plan on
resuming that normal installment of the blog following Easter.***
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God.”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
By
ARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE VALUE OF THIS DOCTRINE continues
We shall now consider
the Value of the doctrine in detail.
6. It supplies comfort in sorrow
The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is one that
is full of consolation and imparts great peace to the Christian. The
sovereignty of God is a foundation that nothing can shake and is more firm than
the heavens and earth. How blessed to know there is no corner of the universe that
is out of His reach! as said the Psalmist, “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit?
or whither shall I flee from Thy
presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou
art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in
the uttermost parts of the sea; even
there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say
surely the darkness shall cover me; even
the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee:
but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to
Thee” (Psa. 139:7–12). How blessed it is to know that God’s strong hand is upon
every one and every thing! How blessed to know that not a sparrow falleth to
the ground without His notice! How blessed to know that our very afflictions come not by chance, nor from
the Devil, but are ordained and ordered by
God: “That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto” (1 Thess. 3:3)!
But our God is not
only infinite in power. He is infinite in wisdom and goodness too. And herein
is the preciousness of this truth. God wills only that which is good and His
will is irreversible and irresistible! God is too wise to err and too loving to
cause His child a needless tear. Therefore if God be perfect wisdom and perfect
goodness how blessed is the assurance that everything is in His hand and
moulded by His will according to His eternal purpose! “Behold, He taketh away, who can hinder Him? who will say unto Him
what doest Thou?” (Job 9:12). Yet, how comforting to learn that it is “He,” and not the Devil, who
“taketh away” our loved ones! Ah! what peace for our poor frail hearts to be
told that the number of our days is with Him (Job 7:1; 14:5); that disease and
death are His messengers and always march under His orders; that it is the Lord who gives and the Lord who takes
away![1]
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Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
