Love who?

Last weekend we wrapped up the biannual Anabaptist Conference that was held this year here at the Changing Life Center.  We had participants from many different parts of Thailand and from nearby L*os.

For this  conference, the theme was The Sermon on the Mount.  These words of Jesus are always very challenging to hear because Jesus takes the common wisdom of this world and turns it upside down.

A good portion of time was spent on this section:

⁴³ "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ 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.  Matthew 5:43-45 (ESV)

It was amazing to hear testimonies from people with real experience loving enemies.  I’m not talking about those who love some enemy who lives far away and is no immediate threat to one’s life, health and well-being.  Nor am I talking about enemies who dislike you because of your bad behavior or social status.  I’m talking about enemies who, at any moment, can arrest you, beat you, throw you in prison, disown you, ostracize you or confiscate your property or your family members because you talk about what Jesus has done for you.

Listening to teaching during the conference

How to you love the person that beat you into a coma?  Or the one who threw you in prison?  The one who makes it difficult for you to even make a living so that you can survive?  The parents who ostracize their child for trusting Jesus in a culture where family relationships form the fabric of the culture?
 

These are the kinds of stories we heard from people who have persevered in their faith in Jesus in spite of the persecution.  Some have seen their persecutors become brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
It is very humbling to be in the midst of such people, for I come from a very luxurious background by comparison.
 
These persecuted brothers, Jesus tells us, are the blessed ones.
 
That’s not what I would say.  If we were to write out the beatitudes, it would go something like this.
 

• Blessed are you who have a nice job and a fat bank account for you shall never want.
• Blessed are you who have a great family and a faithful partner for you shall enjoy love all your days.
• Blessed are you who have a nice house in the suburbs for you shall be comfortable.
• Blessed are you in good health for you shall live a long life
• Blessed are you who have a good education for you will succeed in life and be respected by others

But Jesus said:
³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(and this last one really strikes me)
¹¹ "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:3-12 (ESV)

Ouch!

This seems so backwards.  But the things we often perceive to be “blessings” are actually things that cause us to abandon God.  If I have all I need in this life, then why do I need God?

That’s not to say that God will never bless us with good things, nor do all who have some of the good things in life abandon God.  But we need to be careful lest we end up seeking a good life more than we seek God.

And be careful when you pray asking for God’s blessing.

God, I thank you for the opportunity to learn from these truly faithful servants of yours.

I’ll end this with a poem from Amy Carmichael:

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
(Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified)
From all that dims Thy Calvary
O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire;
Let me not sink to be a clod;
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God