Topic: Feed your enemy
Bible Reading: Proverbs 25-27; 1 Corinthians 5.
Memory Verse: “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:” Proverbs 25:21 (KJV)
The Bible says “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” 1 Corinthians 1:27 (KJV) . This is why you should rather obey the Holy Spirit than your flesh which is often concerned with caRnal things. For example if you are offended, the natural demand by your flesh is to revenge immediately but the word of God is contrary to that. It says, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans 12:19 (KJV).
The word of God expects you to even go a step further by asking that you feed your enemies when they are hungry. Proverbs 25:21 (KJV) admonishes that “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:” So what is expected of you is looking at every creature as being a creation of God and to treat him the way the maker will like you to deal with such a person. So do not let darkness have victory over you. That is its plan, to recruit more people into its fold and that is done subtly. This is why you are warned in Romans 12:21 (KJV), “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
When you are surrounded by dishonest people, the environment will tempt you to compromise because it will be seen as “normal” in such a setting. When people behave badly to you, you feel the need to retaliate but you have been called to a higher standard by God. If you respond to every demand of your carnal nature then you are not a true disciple of Christ. The Lord said in Luke 6:32 (KJV), “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.” So you are expected to show love to everyone whether they love you in return or not. In fact that is what will differentiate you from others and will help to preach the gospel better and faster.
Can you imagine if every child of God chooses to be good to every other person irrespective of their behaviour, what a better world we will have; that alone will win others who will imitate the good doing and thus help to sanitise the world. That’s is why you are called the light of the world!
However, being good to everyone is not natural, it requires the help of the Holy Spirit and so you need to surrender your life to Christ for Him to change your heart and give you a heart of flesh in replacement for a heart of stone that everyone has naturally.
Prayer point: Father help me to love all creature irrespective of their response to me.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero