‘there is a saying, love your friends and hate your enemies. But I say: Love your enemies. Pray for these who persecute you. In that way you will be acting as true sons of your father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. If you are friendly only to your friends how are you different from anyone else. Even the heathens do that. But you are to be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
I find this the hardest passage in the Bible to follow. It’s where the Jews and Christians parted ways. This is the Essence of ‘being born again’. Those who said ‘spiritual progress not perfection’ balked at this Christian calling. I’m not a very good Christian. I know this intellectually and can be loving in theory but personally I’m still slouching towards Bethelehem.
Thankfully Jesus said also “Love God and Love your neighbour as yourself.” Self defence is self love. It was warriors and men of the trades and fathers who came to Jesus not the effete and cowardly. Thy will be done. Not my will. David was a warrior and defended himself and his people. I loved C.S. Lewis “Mere Christianity’ the summary of the thoughts he shared on BBC for the WWII mainly Christian troops. I admire the Quakers and Mennonites. I appreciate the non violence of Gandhi and the exacting teachings by Buddha of doing no harm. But I’m a doctor too and know that excision can save a life. Jesus was not kind to demons and cast them out to save lives. He threw out the moneylenders from the temple.
I need to be more forgiving. Thank you. I want to walk in the path of the Lord. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Thank you Jesus
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