A New Level of Anger

God warned us things would escalate in the last days—and they have. I’ve never seen this level of anger, hatefulness, viciousness, and verbal attacks among communities before. I’m not just talking about the way Jewish students are being treated (although that’s abominable!). I’m talking about the way neighbors are treating neighbors. It’s enough to make you want to pick up your marbles and go home—and hide there the rest of your life. 

In fact, there are posts suggesting that when you’ve been hurt, it’s ok to just “Let them go. You don’t need that kind of hatefulness in your life. Draw boundaries and stay away from those people.”

I’ve thought on this for a few days. That’s exactly what our flesh wants to do. But what does God tell us to do?  He tells us to “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44) This isn’t a passive “live and let live; tell them off, and move on.”  The Greek word for love is agapao. It means to “welcome, entertain, be fond of, to love dearly, to wish well, have a preference for, to regard the welfare of.” That’s NOT what our flesh wants to do. But It’s the picture of the love of Christ suffering and dying on the cross for us when we were “enemies” in our sin. It’s the picture of Jesus eating with Judas knowing he was about to betray him. 

You’ve been hurt, accused, or verbally attacked. Have you prayed for those who persecuted you? You’ll be held in Satan’s chokehold until you do. He wants you to nurse those feelings of rejection and fan those flames of hatred. But once you pray for your enemies, you’ll begin to find release. And when you do good to (love) your enemy? You’ll be set free.  

I know it hurts. Boy! Do I know. But cutting people out of your life isn’t God’s way. Can we draw boundaries, letting people know their gossip, hatred, and venom aren’t welcome around us? Yes…absolutely. Jesus warned his disciples of the teaching of the Pharisees—and even corrected the Pharisees in front of his disciples. The Pharisees constantly tried to hostilely trap Jesus—but he still engaged with them and loved them, even if he was firm with them. Loving others doesn’t mean we don’t speak the truth in love to them. It means we keep the doors open. 

God says to…Love them. Pray for them.