In the Presence of Mine Enemies

Just how do we deal with those who don’t like us, right or wrong? What is the proper view to have towards those who oppose you? Towards those who hate you the most, how should you feel towards them? Jesus’ answer was simple, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44) Jesus’ solution to our enemies, was never to have one! We must remember, there can be no enemy unless you create one. In addition, there can be no battle, if one is only left to fight with themselves. No matter what anyone thinks or feels towards us, as Christians, we are called to love. John was adamant in first John chapters 2, 3, and 4, where he said… “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness,” 1John 2:9,  and  “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him,” 1John 3:15, but most importantly, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1John 4:20. The hallmark of those who know Christ, has been, and always will be, their capacity to love and forgive!

In a world filled with violence and hate, how important do you suppose it is that those who know the true and living God, show love one towards another? Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35) Understand, there can be no hatred or enemy where there is love, especially like the love Christ has shown to us! Remember,  “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23) So know, there can be no enemy unless you create one, and against our enemies, they can have no war if we refuse to fight one. The admonition to all God’s children is simple… “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the each other.” 1Jn 3:14 

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

5/30/2017

The Beam

There are two beams in Scripture worth mentioning. The first, is the beam our Savior died on. The beam which allowed our Savior to be lifted up, and so bear the sins of the world. There is another beam however Scripture speaks of, which is certainly as important to recognize, and that is the one we bear in our own eyes.

This beam we bear in our own eyes is important to recognize for many reasons. The first is, because of its placement. A beam in the eye is located in the worse of all possible locations. By virtue that it is in the eye, and takes up most of the room in it, it insures near, if not total, blindness, for the one trying to see through and around it. Another reason why it is important to recognize the beam, is because it is quite effective at shutting out most of the light as well. Surely the one whose eye is filled with a beam, sees darkly. In addition, the beam if not recognized, can cause the senses to adapt to this handicap, by looking around the edges, instead of at the center, and learning to be comfortable with less light. Like any malformation, in short, we find ways to adapt so that we might become more comfortable with it.  

Jesus said the beam in our own eye, is a hindrance to everything within us! Which brings us to the most concerning thing about the beam, and that is, to the one bearing it, it has a way, though large and overwhelmingly present, to make itself invisible, to the one being blinded by it. The greatest danger of the beam Jesus said, is that those who bear it, are unaware of its presence. To them what they see is light, for they have traded darkness for light. To them, what is spiritually lacking, is now the norm. To the one who bears the beam in their own eye, they now wear it proudly as a prosthetic limb, comfortable now with the new appendage.

Hence Jesus’ sobering words, “The light of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is sound, your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23)

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

5/1/2017