On God's Grace, Anger Fantasies, and a Bad Muffler by Chris White

Actual Car not pictured

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life"

                                                                                    --Proverbs 4:23

The constraints of my situation prohibit me from elaborating, but I do have an enemy.   It's not the devil (although he certainly does appear on my list as The Enemy!) nor is it someone who is or ever has been a member of the church or on the church staff.  Thus, no need to guess or try to figure out who this person is as it really is not important.  My point in bringing this up is I was out walking (as is my custom) the other night and thinking what Pastor Rick has often referred to as "anger fantasies" about this person.  It started out as prayer but, to be honest, it quickly degenerated into thinking incoherent thoughts like "God, if you are going to forgive this person, I'm not sure I even want to be in heaven."  In that moment I heard back from God and thankfully it wasn't "okay Chris, I'll bear that in mind and judge you accordingly!"  So how did God speak to me and what did he say?  In that moment a car drove by me on this quiet street.  It's muffler was noisy enough that it caused me to look up as it went by.  On the back of the car in 10 inch letters were the words " Jesus said love your enemies!".   I wish I could say a warm rush of God's love enveloped me in that moment and that I was immediately quickened by the Spirit to actually love my enemy, but that is not what happened.  But my heart did stop its tirade and was, as the song goes, "sweetly broken" by the truth sent to me from God.  For I knew the message on the back of the car was for me and was shorthand for larger passage of scripture:

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. " (Matt. 5:43-48)

It's a hard truth, especially if you have been grievously injured by another person, yet we are not called to have warm feelings for our enemies, but to return to them the same grace God has given to us.  Its easy to forget that in the face of our rebellion and enmity towards God, God showed us His favor and grace.  He asks us to extend the same and in the doing of that we reflect in a small way His likeness and so prove to be His sons.