“Enemies”

Proverbs 25:17 "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles..."

Caught myself kinda doing this recently. Really had to check myself. Trouble was beginning to visit someone who had hurt someone I love and there was a part of me that loved it. By the way, are brothers and sisters in Christ ever really our enemies? We have a real enemy you know. One who hates us and seeks to destroy us. Hate him for sure. But, someone who is struggling and failing, and who is probably being attacked by our mutual enemy, this is not my enemy. But, when I read these verses I realized that I was glad when someone was stumbling. Treating them as if they were an enemy of God.

We, in the Body of Christ are not each other's enemies. Note... we too often treat brothers and sisters with this awful kind of nastiness and this scripture is telling us to not even treat our real enemies that way. God is in charge of justice. He judges. Someone you don't like or doesn't like you, is not your enemy. Someone who is acting out or up is not your enemy. Our real enemy sure turns us on each other. Our Lord wants us to forgive each other. Who is influencing you about how to respond to those who hurt you or hurt those you love?

No matter how much trouble somebody is, we should treat brothers and sisters especially well and even our real enemies with more compassion than we do. In the current climate of "tit for tat", parsing words and a mean-spirited free for all.... brothers and sisters, do not treat God's children like enemies. And... treat your enemies better. No more being glad or rejoicing when anybody falls or even stumbles. Something to think and pray about.

With Conviction,

Pastor Fred