Do good to those who hate me?!!

Luke 6:27, "But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, "

Let's take a look at this passage truthfully. One morning as I opened my Bible at random, I read across this scripture. When I read it I thought, "I am not doing this!" Honestly, who does this, at least on a regular basis? Now, I love my family. And, I go to a lot of trouble to make sure that they know it that I love and care for them. I cook special meals for them, take them out to eat, buy them gifts, spend time with them listening and talking, etc. The same thing is true of my friends. But, when is the last time I showed love like this for someone I didn't like at all? An enemy at that (I mean, actually initiated it, not just being nice so you won't feel guilty). Do you know of someone who really hates you? Have you gone out of your way lately to do something really good for them? I must admit, that's probably been the last thing on my mind. Avoiding them is something I'm much better at.
Actually, when I think about it, I can't really think of anyone off hand who I could really consider a personal enemy or who really hates me. But, when I think about it from a spiritual standpoint, what about people who hate God? People who are enemies of the cross? As Christians, aren't these people our enemies also? How are we literally loving them? Are we doing good to them? Are we demonstrating Christ's love? I'm convinced that it has to be more than just a kind word in passing. We need to demonstrate the kind of love that leaves no doubt in their mind that we have the love of God abiding in us. The doing good to them kind of love like we show our friends and family, who love us back. "Lord, help me! I can't do this on my own. My flesh doesn't even want to."

Marriage Encounter

This past weekend my husband and I attended a Marriage Encounter weekend. I've been wanting to go to one of these for at least 20 years. Finally, my husband, unenthusiastically, agreed to go. We both felt like we benefited from it immensely and wished we had gone sooner. It feels like a fresh start. I felt like so many prayers were answered just from us taking this time out to spend together and picking up some tools to better communicate. So, no matter how long you've been married, don't quit trying to make your relationship grow, especially if you're in a place where you've given up hope. God has shown us over and over never to lose hope.
P.S. If you've never heard of Marriage Encounter, check it out at www.agme.org

It Is Finished!

It is finished the battle is over
It is finished there'll be no more war
It is finished the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord!

Some of you may recognize the words to this old song. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with it playing in my head.
I don't know about you, but I don't always cherish getting woke up during the night when the Holy Spirit is telling me to get up and pray. I also don't always love it when the alarm goes off really early in the morning telling me that it's time to roll out of my warm bed and spend some time praying and reading my Bible before I start my day. I love my time of devotions, but it's not always easy to get awake. But I know if I don't do it early, daily life will crowd in and too many times crowd out quality, quiet time with God. And I must take this time to pray. There are a lot of needs that I must make time to keep before God in prayer. I have friends and family who need God. There are needs in our country and needs in our church. It's not always easy to fast and pray and intercede for others, especially when I'm not seeing immediate results. But, as this song rolled over and over in my head this morning, I thought about the fact that one day it's all going to be over. I won't have to spend time in my already pressing schedule to pray for that one who is dear to me, because it'll be over. I won't have to be trying to keep my eyes open praying for that need that God has placed on my heart, because it will all be finished. It's a sobering thought. It's a privilege to pray and intercede for others, and we may not have tomorrow to do it.