|
| BETRAYAL: Learning To Love Our Enemies |
| Tuesday, August 11, 2009 |
 You may be reading this post today with the sharp edge of betrayal fresh in your mind. Perhaps your spouse has been cheating on you, or one of your kids has just been arrested for drug possession, or that person you confided in went and blabbed everything all over town. And the anger in you is starting to swell; there are days when you simply lose control.
Jesus can sympathize with you. But when we face these situations we must look at how Jesus handled Judas Iscariot, and take our cues and strength from Him.
Before He selected Judas to be His disciple Jesus had spent a whole night in prayer speaking with His Father in heaven. We can assume that God spoke very clearly to Him about whom He should choose, and I believe that the Father made it clear to Jesus that Judas would be His betrayer. But He was still to teach him, love him, and treat him as a brother.
I can't imagine how hard it would be to be told that you must select and love the person who would eventually turn you over to terrorists to be tortured and killed. But this exactly what Jesus did. Never, at any time, did He let on to the other disciples what He knew about Judas. They were stunned to meet him at the edge of the Garden that dreadful night.
This reminds us of what God not only expects, but enables us to do with our enemies. Jesus said, "Love your enemies and do good to them", not as a wonderful ideal but straight out of His personal experience with Judas. For three years He practiced love, compassion, forgiveness, and patience with Judas....all the while knowing that in end Judas would not repent, and would still carry out his betrayal.
This is our calling too! Whether it's with a difficult spouse, a wayward child, an ornery boss, or an unfaithful friend God calls us to love them, forgive them, and do good to them in spite of what they have done, or may still yet do, to us.
May God give you the grace, strength, and peace to accomplish His purposes in your life....especially with those who continue to hurt you.
|
posted by Alan @ 10:25 PM   |
|
|
|
|
| About Me |
|
Name: Alan
Home: Canada
About Me:
See my complete profile
|
| Previous Post |
|
| Archives |
|
| Sites I Recommend |
|
|
| Books I'm Reading |
|
|
| Powered by |
 |
|
