Love Your Enemy

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

Proverbs 25:21-22 [NKJV]

My mother’s kitchen table was both eating establishment and one room schoolhouse.  I have many memories of sitting around that old Formica table, listening as my mom taught my brothers and me from the Bible.  This verse from Proverbs was one of the first ones that I remember.  It took Mom a while to get across the meaning of the “coals of fire,” but this proverb has stayed in my active memory my entire life.

The main thrust of Jesus’ teaching was 1) loving God, and 2) loving people.  Due to the fact that loving people can be very hard at time, particularly if they don’t love you, He had a great deal to say about what to do with your “enemy” – someone who actively endeavors to make your life miserable.

Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Luke 6:27-28

Obviously, the Apostle Paul’s mother taught him the same verse from Proverbs; he passed it on in his letter to the Romans [12:17-21]:

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Do you have a co-worker, neighbor, or family member who seems to have it out for you?  Take your little coal scuttle of love and kindness and dump it all over them.  It will make them feel distinctly uncomfortable.  They may crow about your weakness and “stupidity” at first, but eventually, they will wonder what in the world makes you tick.

[My apologies for the lateness of this posting today.  

Blogspot was down for repairs for a considerable time.  

Thanks for your patience.]