Love Letters: Whack or Whittle?

Love Letters: Whack or Whittle?

#9 in the Series:  Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father 

All of us have experienced them. Some we wanted and went after.  Others were “forced” on us by circumstances, our own choices, or the impact of others.  Changes, regardless of what puts them in motion, are almost never easy.

When we recognize that God is at work in all of them, however,  change can be a little easier.

“So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.”  ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Sometimes when we are reading scripture, the words whack us in the head or heart like a baseball bat hitting the last inning home run.  Suddenly everything is clearer.

Sometimes after meditating and chewing on the depths of meaning in a scripture, gradually things that need to change in our life are evident and can no longer be ignored.

Such was the case on Jan 31, 2019.  I had been studying about love for almost 4 weeks.  I was looking at the accumulation of related verses in my notebook when a new phrase started jumping out: 

What is striking me this morning is the “love your enemies.”  There are three passages that address this concept:

“"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust…You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:43-45, 48‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The end of this passage gives this rationale: “therefore you must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

“"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. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them…love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”  ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:27-31, 35-36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This passage also gives a rationale: “and your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High...”

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭25:21-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Even here in the Old Testament, the benefit of doing good to your enemy is that “the Lord will reward you!”

In the New Testament passages the word for love is agapao—a social and moral love that is a decision of the will. I had gotten the impression from the definition that the decision was usually based on some worthy characteristic of the object—something admirable—but this word is also used of God’s or Jesus’ love for mankind…and man is undeserving just as our enemies are undeserving. Agapao is a duty. It is my duty to love my enemy--to do good to them: to bless, to pray for, to lend without expecting anything in return, to give them even more when they take.  The result: I will be like father! And he will reward me.

I don’t like to think of (a particular person) as an enemy but perhaps these passages give me more guidance about how to interact with her than the general verses about love or the verses on loving your neighbor as yourself!  I am to bless her and pray for her and when she wants to take or keep something that is mine/ours, to give her something extra.

Lord, Jesus…am I getting it?!

(He’s smiling and his eyes are shining.)

Jesus, you’ll have to give me the peace and the courage to do that!

That day’s revelation gave me the strength to begin interacting with this person differently out of a decision of my will instead of out of the hurt emotions of my heart.  Don’t get me wrong…sometimes, it still hurts and it is not easy.  But God is greater than my emotions and he rewards my efforts by giving me his strength and peace and showing me the good that is coming out of the conflict; that is, that I am becoming a little more like Christ, identifying with him because of the suffering. 

That was a BIG change!

How about you?  Be on the lookout for scripture to show you areas you need to change because:

“All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately--behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]”  ‭‭2 TIMOTHY‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Be obedient, embrace the change…and  free your mustang heart!


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