“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
James 3:7-8
How do I love my enemy?
Let me give you three simple things you can do to move in the right direction.
Remember what we discussed earlier in the week though, you need the love of God in your life and His supernatural power to love your enemies.
That being said, how can I work with the Spirit of God to love those who, as the Bible says “…despitefully use you.”
The first thing you do is to stop bad-mouthing them.
The second thing you do is to start blessing them.
The third thing you do is to start praying for them.
I know, it is just too simple to do.
The guilt we feel for hating them demands a greater penance than that doesn’t it?
First of all, it’s not penance and secondly, if you can master those three steps you have accomplished quite a bit. The Bible tells us that:
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
All three of the tasks have something in common and it is simply how you choose to speak of others.
How do you use your tongue?
Do you use it to gossip about and curse your enemies or do you use it to bless and pray for them?
Is the power of life coming from your tongue to your enemies or the power of death?
I agree that the steps I listed sound too simple but then when I read the words of James quoted above I realize how hard it is and how much I need the Spirit of God to change my heart and in so doing see the change it brings to my tongue.
While no human being can tame the tongue, all things are possible with God. He commands us to love our enemies and then He gives us the power to accomplish it!
Ask God to help you change how you use your tongue with regard to your enemies!
James 3:7-8
How do I love my enemy?
Let me give you three simple things you can do to move in the right direction.
Remember what we discussed earlier in the week though, you need the love of God in your life and His supernatural power to love your enemies.
That being said, how can I work with the Spirit of God to love those who, as the Bible says “…despitefully use you.”
The first thing you do is to stop bad-mouthing them.
The second thing you do is to start blessing them.
The third thing you do is to start praying for them.
I know, it is just too simple to do.
The guilt we feel for hating them demands a greater penance than that doesn’t it?
First of all, it’s not penance and secondly, if you can master those three steps you have accomplished quite a bit. The Bible tells us that:
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
All three of the tasks have something in common and it is simply how you choose to speak of others.
How do you use your tongue?
Do you use it to gossip about and curse your enemies or do you use it to bless and pray for them?
Is the power of life coming from your tongue to your enemies or the power of death?
I agree that the steps I listed sound too simple but then when I read the words of James quoted above I realize how hard it is and how much I need the Spirit of God to change my heart and in so doing see the change it brings to my tongue.
While no human being can tame the tongue, all things are possible with God. He commands us to love our enemies and then He gives us the power to accomplish it!
Ask God to help you change how you use your tongue with regard to your enemies!
No comments:
Post a Comment