Morning Musings-Bless Those Who Persecute You

Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast....



Do you feel like it?  To love your enemies and to bless and pray for those who persecute you?  Is this possible?!!  Who wants to do that!?  This is what God asks of us who are followers of Jesus Christ...it's a command, actually.  See Matthew 4:43-45 and Roman 12:14-21; very comprehensive in what we are asked to do.  "Bless and curse not"!  "Feed 'em when they are hungry"!  This really goes against our natural inclinations but God's divine power and grace is in us through His Holy Spirit aiding and abetting us to do so.

Back in March of 2015 there were newscasts about the exceedingly awful actions of the ISIS and Boko Haram groups.  All those things they perpetrated towards our brothers and sisters in Christ (as well as towards others) in those countries of Iraq and Nigeria and elsewhere.  Beheadings and more.  Beheadings of adults is bad enough but these were reported to be children!  Oh how our hearts hurt for those very brave and courageous children and parents who would not surrender their faith in Jesus Christ to these wicked men.   Kidnapping of many young girls to be forced into marriage with them and others they did not wish to marry.  

We are supposed to forgive them?   We are supposed to bless them?  We are supposed to feed them?  Again, most of us would not feel like doing so.  This is an act of God's grace working through us to be able to do this.  These are commands from God.


Remember Saul of Tarsus in the book of Acts?  He was just such a man as these people; collecting  Christians from house to house to throw them in jail, and etc.  A cruel man who seemed unstoppable til God arrested him in his tracks.  Look what a great and mighty work he eventually accomplished for God.  It could happen again.

Someone sent me a message which included the following:

"Our response to this wave of terror cannot be fear--or hatred.  Don't just  curse darkness.  Be proactive by praying fervently.  Ask God to unleash in the Middle East a great outpouring of His Holy Spirit to bring peace and salvation to those who need it."  These people certainly do.

Pray for those unrighteous men but also pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ to have ever increasing courage to face the terror and stand firm in their faith; to forgive; to love and pray for and bless their enemies.  Don't let them stand alone. Pray.  Bless.

                                                                     ~ERC 2016~

                                                                 
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