Destroy Your Enemies ~ Step 3: How Wrong is the Wrong?

Greetings Dear Reader, 

I think I should review.  Step one was to be certain that our enemy has actually earned being considered an enemy.  Step two is to set aside the anger so our justice is righteous when we prepare to destroy our enemies.  Now, we need to consider the degree of the wrong. 

We must not make an enemy over things lacking the portent of being an enemy.  There was a guy where I worked once who would regularly steal my lunch from the fridge.  In so many other ways he was a great guy.  I tried to speak to him about it once but he vehemently denied it was him.  Keep in mind I had observed him taking and eating my carefully prepared lunch.  He was easily a thief and a liar.  

His offenses, however, were not enough to call him an enemy.  In addition, I simply began bringing my lunch in a cooler.  I also started making a sandwich for him and leaving it in the fridge.  The guy was no longer stealing from me.  He was receiving a gift.  It was not holiness or righteousness causing me to act this way.  I wish I had done it out of love.  

What motivated me was guilt.  As I stewed in my anger over hid lying and thieving, I realized his sin was no worse than my own.  I had spent days angry over something when my own failures made me no better.  The entire idea of casting stones is meant to teach us how guilty we all are. 

We compare our sin to the sins of others and think we are better.  We consider the wrong they do and not our degree of guilt.  I must compare my wrong to the holy righteous love of the Father.  It is I who am guilty and must change the way I think and act.  It is my actions needing redemption and my heart needing mending. 

When I look for enemies, I need look no further than the mirror to understand the grace, mercy, and forgiveness I desperately need.  Even when I am further down the road in yielding to the Spirit and following Jesus, I still fail.  The Father makes it clear only one sin makes us guilty of all.  Comparing wrongs must begin with my relationship to the Father, Dear Reader. 

This means the path to destroying my enemies must include an honest understanding of my place.  I must identify as a recovering enemy of the Father.  I must see how he treats me and emulate the same treatment.  It is in this space I can find the proper assessment of an enemy.  I can find common ground in their failure to love the Father as he requires.  It is here I can begin to see how I am to treat those who have despitefully used me.  The plan is coming together, Dear Reader.  

Wishing you joy in the journey, 

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good. 

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon
Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
Facebook     
Twitter        
Medium         
Instagram 
BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

We must not go to war over salad.