To Love My Enemy

A little while ago the New York Giants, who were the lowest rated team in the playoffs, having barely made a wild-card spot, faced and beat the New England Patriots, who were speculated by some to be the best team in NFL history. The Giants won in a upset of epic proportions.
I was in attendance at our church's youth Super Bowl Party to witness this spectacular event, and at half-time one of my best friends, Jared, gave a message about doing all to the glory of God. He mentioned a 60 Minutes interview with Tom Brady in which he stated that in spite of his astounding success, he did not feel satisfied.
Now the Patriots had, throughout the season, cheated, played dirty, taunted other teams, and generally conducted themselves in rather arrogant manners. Even ESPN called their coach, Bill Belichick, the "evil" coach in their coverage of the Colts/Patriots game (which they called good vs. evil). As a result of their attitudes, I despised them as a team. I made many jokes about them, referring to Brady and Belichick as Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. When the Colts defeated the Patriots last year, I said to the crowd I was with: "And when the game is over, Manning will throw the ring into Mount Doom and Belichick will be destroyed!"

Everyone laughed. Everyone agreed.

But then God began moving in me, and here is what He showed me.
Tom Brady has spent his entire life pursuing and acquiring the things of this world that will not last, realizing somewhere that these things do not fulfill but being at a loss as to what does, and is well on his way to suffering Hell and eternal wrath, and instead of my heart utterly breaking for him, I instead make a joke out of his wickedness.

I have laughed at his depravity. And I am greatly ashamed. Now my heart breaks.

Of course he is a jerk! Of course he is arrogant! Of course he can be dishonest! He does not have Christ, and that is the only difference between me and this man I have despised. I have been rescued and he is still drowning, and I stand on the shore and mock him as he takes his last breaths. Of course he is my enemy and God's, and I am not loving my enemy.

Now if your child were to contract cancer, you would not rejoice. They are your child, and you love them dearly. Indeed, would you not cry out to God with many tears that He heal them? This is why Proverbs 24:17-18 says that we should not rejoice when our enemy falls, and that God will turn His wrath on us if we do. Loving does not simply mean abstaining from the celebration of their downfall, but actively and passionately praying and interceding on their behalf against God's vengeance on them... and we must pray this with much the same fervor, brokenness, and determination as a parent would against a cancerous disease in their child. That is loving your enemy.



Matthew 5:44, Proverbs 2:17-18, Romans 12:19-21

Dreams, Vision, and Connecting the Dots

Proverbs 16:9 - "The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Proverbs 20:24 - "A man's steps are from the Lord; how then can a man understand his way?"


I have big dreams... dreams and desires I believe God put into my heart. I believe He has put them there as a vision I am supposed to pursue someday and prepare for now. However now is not the time to pursue my dreams, and this often causes restlessness within my heart. I desire very greatly to go now. Indeed, before God worked greatly upon my impatient heart, the thought of working a mundane job, living in Memphis, and serving in my local church depressed me. I wanted to move on so greatly that I could not truly want what God has for me here and now.

I think this is a classic example of why God often does not inform us of our calling or His will until it happens and we're there. Because I believe God has told me some of my calling in life, I often struggle greatly with doing anything else until I am allowed to pursue it. My impatient, matter-of-fact mind views these sorts of things as detours that hinder me from reaching my destination.

But life is like a game of connect-the-dots. God does not tell us about Point #54 because we would probably attempt to go straight to that point. He wants us to go in order from dot to dot, and in doing so, we create the much bigger and more beautiful picture that He has in mind for our lives. Just consider it! If we got what we wanted right now, our life would merely be a straight line.

No, God has a much bigger plan for us than getting what we want when we want it... even if it's something to serve Him.

So why am I here right now? I don't know, but I am thankful I am. What lives will I impact at my job? What difference will I make in church? What does God still have to teach me before I live my dreams? What part do I have yet to play in my friends' lives before I leave some of them? What part of me is not ready to face my dreams... that if not prepared first and in due time, would destroy those dreams?
When I think about all that, I realize that my life is more exciting than I'd realized or imagined. He is going to teach me great things. He is going to change me in great ways. He is going to use me in ways I can't yet imagine. And there are countless other reasons I simply cannot see.

We all long for the adventure of chasing our dreams, but we fail to realize that the adventure has already started. And if we could see the big picture that our life is creating, with all its stops and detours, I imagine we would not have it any other way.

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