LOVE VS. ENEMY By Jhocelyn M. Rivera RN, MAN, PHD Nsg. ( c ) (2006) a personal essay made during my stay at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, KSA To God Be The Glory! What is love? What is enemy? According to Webster New Dictionary, “ Love is unselfish, loyal, benevolent concern for others.” According to the Holy Book, “ Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. “ (1 Corinthian 13: 4-8 ). On the other hand, an enemy is one that attacks or tries to harm another. Sometimes, an enemy might appear as friendly, but in truth, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or may appear as a snake in the grass like a secret agent. Let’s talk about the enemy as a person, we can call it our opponent. Well, can you love your enemy? A query being avoided by many; a query being responded with vague statements since it is not easily answered by simply yes or no. Is it really possible to love your enemy? Is this a fairy tale, myth or truth? One time, a Sri Lankan woman name Champy was asked and replied, “Sometimes I can love an enemy.” Sister Kutty, an Indian lady says, “ We have to love our enemy but it’s hard to do.” Mercy Baldonado, a Filipina says, “ Maybe sometimes yes, sometimes no. I can forgive her but I can no longer trust her.” Another Filipina friend says, “ I don’t know what to say about it. You can ask me about anything but not about that matter.” In every walk of life, we are dealing with people of different personalities and characters. Most people when asked if they can love their enemy can’t give a straight response. Loving someone who is good to you is as easy as A.B.C., but loving the one who is not good to you is as sour as vinegar or as bitter as bile. The naked truth about enemy is that, there is a glimmer of hope or a very faint chance for reconciliation. Moreover, from their own definitions, both words are distinct from each other. In addition to this, considering that man by nature is sinful and weak, therefore, loving an enemy is not possible due to conflicts being created between the two parties. Conflict as related to enemy is common in marriages, families, communities, peer groups, governments or politics and other social groups. Thus, how an enemy is considered an enemy or opponent? How conflict is created between relationships? First, it may all start with careless words to others. Our tongue is the smallest part of our body, but it can kill or gives curse to others. It says in the Book of James 3:5-6, “ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boast. Consider what a great forest is set on fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell.” Since we’re not the only person around, we must be careful with every word that comes from our mouth. Remember the saying” Walls have ears”. We may say something meaningless to us, but to others it might be a major issue. We must learn to utter things in a right note and mend our own ways to avoid any trouble. Second cause of conflict is pride. Due to man’s sinful nature, even two best of friends will be in the soup of serious trouble if a little conflict will not be resolved by proper communications. Pride opens roads to suspicion, hatred and revenge that start from our mind and heart. In turn, God will not listen to our prayers if we’re not pure inside. In the Book of Isaiah 59:1-2 says,” Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God..” So, in order to erase every heartaches and headaches done to us by others, we must learn to forgive. Forgiveness is the key to cleansing and replacing all impurities within us. Because, one truth about enemy is that it’s not really the person who is our enemy, but it’s the spirit behind the person and his character. Book of Ephesians 6:12 says, “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces in evil in the heavenly realms”. Indeed, our battle is not in terms of physical measure but it’s beyond that thing called spiritual battle, and the war is against the ruler of this world, Satan. Furthermore, we need a Higher Authority with Greater Power who will fight for us, it’s God. In times like this, He will intervene. All we need to do is to pray for our enemy or bring the matter to God, so that God will renew the heart and mind of our enemy. In the Book of Luke 6:27-33 says “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn it to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others, as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” My friend, loving an enemy is not easy. But if you commit your life to God, loving your enemy is very possible. They say that your best friend could be your worst enemy, but if you commit your life to Him, your enemy could be your friend. Your heart is free from hatred and guilt. And if you did it, it’s more than winning a millions of dollars in a lottery. Don’t we know that we, mankind are once an enemy of God because of Sin? But because of His unconditional Love for us that He gave to us His Only Son Jesus Christ, we became friends again. JESUS CHRIST died for us on the Cross of Calvary for the redemption of our sins that after 3 days, He resurrected or rose again so that we too will have an eternal life. He became the gift of God, the Father for us that if we receive Him, we’ll have a new life with Him, which will start here on earth. In the Book of Romans 3:23 & 6:23 say, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Since we are all sinners in God’s standard, we must repent for our sins and ask forgiveness from Him. In the Book of 1 John 1:9 says,” If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. In John 3:16 says, “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. “ In John 14:6 says,” I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. My friend, JESUS CHRIST is the only Authority in heaven and earth. Surrender your life to HIM now and accept Him as your own personal Savior. Accepting Him will make you love your enemies, change your whole life and most importantly, you will surely go to heaven 100% when you die because JESUS CHRIST is the only name, the only passport to Heaven. Don’t think too long my friend. God is talking to you right now. Accept Him as your Lord and Master of your life because tomorrow it might be late. Revelation 3:20 Jesus Himself said, “ Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. In the Book of Psalm 95:7 “ Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts….” God bless you my friend and may you feel His love forever! LOVE VS. ENEMY By Jhocelyn M. Rivera RN, MAN, PHD Nsg. ( c ) (2006) a personal essay made during my stay at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, KSA To God Be The Glory! What is love? What is enemy? According to Webster New Dictionary, “ Love is unselfish, loyal, benevolent concern for others.” According to the Holy Book, “ Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. “ (1 Corinthian 13: 4-8 ). On the other hand, an enemy is one that attacks or tries to harm another. Sometimes, an enemy might appear as friendly, but in truth, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or may appear as a snake in the grass like a secret agent. Let’s talk about the enemy as a person, we can call it our opponent. Well, can you love your enemy? A query being avoided by many; a query being responded with vague statements since it is not easily answered by simply yes or no. Is it really possible to love your enemy? Is this a fairy tale, myth or truth? One time, a Sri Lankan woman name Champy was asked and replied, “Sometimes I can love an enemy.” Sister Kutty, an Indian lady says, “ We have to love our enemy but it’s hard to do.” Mercy Baldonado, a Filipina says, “ Maybe sometimes yes, sometimes no. I can forgive her but I can no longer trust her.” Another Filipina friend says, “ I don’t know what to say about it. You can ask me about anything but not about that matter.” In every walk of life, we are dealing with people of different personalities and characters. Most people when asked if they can love their enemy can’t give a straight response. Loving someone who is good to you is as easy as A.B.C., but loving the one who is not good to you is as sour as vinegar or as bitter as bile. The naked truth about enemy is that, there is a glimmer of hope or a very faint chance for reconciliation. Moreover, from their own definitions, both words are distinct from each other. In addition to this, considering that man by nature is sinful and weak, therefore, loving an enemy is not possible due to conflicts being created between the two parties. Conflict as related to enemy is common in marriages, families, communities, peer groups, governments or politics and other social groups. Thus, how an enemy is considered an enemy or opponent? How conflict is created between relationships? First, it may all start with careless words to others. Our tongue is the smallest part of our body, but it can kill or gives curse to others. It says in the Book of James 3:5-6, “ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boast. Consider what a great forest is set on fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell.” Since we’re not the only person around, we must be careful with every word that comes from our mouth. Remember the saying” Walls have ears”. We may say something meaningless to us, but to others it might be a major issue. We must learn to utter things in a right note and mend our own ways to avoid any trouble. Second cause of conflict is pride. Due to man’s sinful nature, even two best of friends will be in the soup of serious trouble if a little conflict will not be resolved by proper communications. Pride opens roads to suspicion, hatred and revenge that start from our mind and heart. In turn, God will not listen to our prayers if we’re not pure inside. In the Book of Isaiah 59:1-2 says,” Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God..” So, in order to erase every heartaches and headaches done to us by others, we must learn to forgive. Forgiveness is the key to cleansing and replacing all impurities within us. Because, one truth about enemy is that it’s not really the person who is our enemy, but it’s the spirit behind the person and his character. Book of Ephesians 6:12 says, “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces in evil in the heavenly realms”. Indeed, our battle is not in terms of physical measure but it’s beyond that thing called spiritual battle, and the war is against the ruler of this world, Satan. Furthermore, we need a Higher Authority with Greater Power who will fight for us, it’s God. In times like this, He will intervene. All we need to do is to pray for our enemy or bring the matter to God, so that God will renew the heart and mind of our enemy. In the Book of Luke 6:27-33 says “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn it to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others, as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” My friend, loving an enemy is not easy. But if you commit your life to God, loving your enemy is very possible. They say that your best friend could be your worst enemy, but if you commit your life to Him, your enemy could be your friend. Your heart is free from hatred and guilt. And if you did it, it’s more than winning a millions of dollars in a lottery. Don’t we know that we, mankind are once an enemy of God because of Sin? But because of His unconditional Love for us that He gave to us His Only Son Jesus Christ, we became friends again. JESUS CHRIST died for us on the Cross of Calvary for the redemption of our sins that after 3 days, He resurrected or rose again so that we too will have an eternal life. He became the gift of God, the Father for us that if we receive Him, we’ll have a new life with Him, which will start here on earth. In the Book of Romans 3:23 & 6:23 say, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Since we are all sinners in God’s standard, we must repent for our sins and ask forgiveness from Him. In the Book of 1 John 1:9 says,” If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. In John 3:16 says, “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. “ In John 14:6 says,” I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. My friend, JESUS CHRIST is the only Authority in heaven and earth. Surrender your life to HIM now and accept Him as your own personal Savior. Accepting Him will make you love your enemies, change your whole life and most importantly, you will surely go to heaven 100% when you die because JESUS CHRIST is the only name, the only passport to Heaven. Don’t think too long my friend. God is talking to you right now. Accept Him as your Lord and Master of your life because tomorrow it might be late. Revelation 3:20 Jesus Himself said, “ Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. In the Book of Psalm 95:7 “ Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts….” God bless you my friend and may you feel His love forever!
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 16:29:51 +0000
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