Titus 3:1 “Remind your people to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.” (NLT)
Luke 6:27-28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” (ESV)
1 Peter 2:13-15 “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:” (KJV)
1 Cor. 13:4-6 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;” (NKJV)
A Bible study I went to this week hit me between the eyes. I was confronted by a blaring and rather unsettling truth. How do politics and religion unite? Where do my desires for political freedom collide with my calling to witness and see the lost led to Christ? Does my passion for mission and love for people stretch to the people I see as enemies? What about those who hate me and are working to strip me of my coveted freedoms?
These were the startling questions I began to ask myself. As I looked at my opinions of people, especially liberals and those who do not agree with me, I saw, instead of love, and fist raised in anger. A fist clenched, ready to slam down and crush those who stand in opposition to me. I was stunned. I claim to have a passion to see people love and understand God as I do but what if I held the eternal fate of our president in my hands? What if I had the option of getting the freedom I want, or living in physical bondage and seeing them saved? I have to say, in grief, that I would probably choose to see them suffer rather than suffer myself but know they would be in Heaven. I am supposed to be an example of Christ’s love to the lost rather than put my rights first. When will I learn to put others first.
Recently, the youth choir from my church went on a missions trip to New Orleans. They were asked to do a service project to clean up the ditches in the city. It was hard, dirty, grubby work. Definitely not something you would volunteer for. Later, when given the option of going door-to-door to invite people to an evangelistic service or go back to the ditches, many of them chose to return to the ditches. Why would they do that? I was very humbled by the idea that they would be return to the ditches. Would I have gone to the ditches of ministry? Would I go back again?
Submit… no matter what. This is the truth that hit me. Peter and Paul encouraged the early Christians to submit to Caesar. One of the Caesar’s was Nero. I don’t think I would ever be able to submit to a man like Nero… the man who used the living, burning bodies of Christians to light his garden for parties. He burned the city of Rome and blamed the Christians. So, I have been assigned to love those who hate me. The only way I can is to have God’s love in me. Only His love can overcome the injustice I see. His love will blind my eyes to personal attacks and will help me see them as God does, broken people bound in the chains of their sin. Dear God, love them through me, because I can’t.
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