May 5, 2024
Passage Read: Psalm 136-139
Meditation Verses: 139:19-22
Thought
There are those who speak against God wickedly. There are those who take His name in vain. There are those who truly hate the Lord and rise up against Him. Not all hatred is the same: Some is active and outright, some is subtle but determined. Not all taking of the Lord's name is the same: Some is blatant disregard for His holiness, some is claiming to believe but living in disbelief. Without Christ, our natural state is to be at war with God, some outright and violent, some merely ignoring God and going their own way, but all are at enmity toward God. What is my response? Jesus calls me to love them, pray for them and do good to them, but that doesn't change the truth of who they are: They are still self-appointed enemies of God; they are still those who persecute me and all those who live for the Lord. There is no room for fellowship and drawing near and being at peace. There is a reaching out and an extending of compassion, but to make them out to be innocent victims is to deceive myself and to deceive them. They must repent if they want to live, and for there to be any chance of the two of us being friends and having true fellowship. There is no other way forward.
Application
For my part, I must always be willing to make peace with those who hate God, but they must repent for there to be a chance at true peace. Anything less is merely a truce, the absence of open warfare, but the continuing state of hostility. I must remain on guard, because without repentance, it's just a matter of time before warfare breaks out again. I can't attack, but I can remain in a defensive posture, even while overtures for peace appear to be made. I must pray for their repentance, I can pray that God shows them mercy despite their hostility, in hope that His kindness leads them to repentance. I can pray that the Lord brings a greater hostile force against them, that they realize how desperately they need deliverance and perhaps cry out to the Lord. The reality is that there are those who will never repent, they are not chosen by God, no matter how nice and kind I or God are. I don't know who that is, so I can and should extend grace to everyone, but that doesn't mean I have to be naïve and pretend that nobody is really an enemy of God. Everyone outside of Christ is an enemy of God, even some in the church, acting the part of a believer. There are false teachers, waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting.