Epiphany Moments – Love Your Enemy is a great one as we enter Valentine’s week! I don’t know that love is understood properly in our culture.
More Than Deep Dish
If you look at love in our nation it’s as deep as my love of pizza. I love how pizza makes me feel. It tastes yummy. I’m full after I eat a whole frozen pizza. Even if the pizza doesn’t love me back an hour later, I’ll probably still eat another whole frozen pizza next week.
Love and Hate
I know it’s the week of love, but it doesn’t take much for us to hate something or someone. The days are evil. We’re evil! The cure for a hateful attitude is two-fold. First the only way we can be merciful is when we see how God has been merciful to us. On the topic of love – God says that we love because he first loved us. Nothing shows love like forgiving your enemies.
The Hug Heard Round The World
I want to take you to Dallas, TX, 2018. Amber Guyger was heading back to her apartment after getting off of work. She was a police officer in Dallas. She went into the wrong apartment, saw Botham Jean – an accountant – sitting eating ice cream in his apartment, Amber was shocked, became confused, and then shot and killed him. This was a horrible tragedy. Amber was struggling with this. She said on the witness stand, “I hate myself.” Botham’s brother Brant then took the stand – this was the sentencing hearing and said, I know I can speak for myself, I forgive you, he didn’t want her to go to jail. Then he asked the stunned and sobbing judge if he could give her a hug. It’s a couple awkward seconds before she says yes.
There were people who thought he was wrong to do that. There are people who will tell you to hold onto your hate for your enemies. Jesus says no. This is the Epiphany moment. Nothing shows love like… forgiving your enemies.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from our series – Epiphany Moments – Love Your Enemy.
Book(s): Luke
Series: Epiphany Moments
Tag(s): Epiphany
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg