I listen to so-called variety stations when I'm driving to reduce what my sister has accurately dubbed 'verbal road rage'. Drivers around here don't believe in blinkers, lights, or speed limits. And I don't just mean they speed. I mean they also go way under the limit. For the most part you learn the quirks of the drivers in your part of town, and learn be really careful for people turning. But on the highway I travel to get to school, it can be chaos near rush hours for all of the above reasons, plus mild congestion. If I am not singing along to something, I'll be loudly telling off my fellow drivers, even though they can't possibly hear me.
On the radio quite a bit of late is Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young", which is not a particularly wholesome song. Now, there is a whole post just waiting to be written on his claim that he'd rather "laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints/ the sinners are much more fun", but what's been nagging me is this stanza: "Said, your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation/ Aw, she never cared for me/ But did she ever say a prayer for me?"
There are two reasons why this has been bothering me. One, we are expressly commanded to pray for our enemies. Two, we have a really bad reputation, I have discovered, of not doing this or worse, doing it in a combative manner. One of the top links to 'pray for your enemies' in a Google search comes back "Praying for your enemies--how to slap them around with prayer!" Yes, internet, that's why we are commanded to pray for our enemies. So we can feel self righteous the next time they trip because that was God slapping them for us.
NO! Wrong! Wrong wrong wrongity wrong*! There are SO many reasons that we should pray for our enemies and absolutely none of them are revenge based. No, not even "vengeance is mine, sayeth the LORD" based. If the LORD wants to do some vengeance wreaking, that's His business and can be done in all wisdom and goodness.
Take a look at what Paul says we should be doing as those who have been saved.
Our lives as Christians were never supposed to be easy. The burden is easy and the yoke is light because we know where we are going. Whatever happens in this life, we will rest in the bosom of Christ. We will see the peaceful kingdom. In this life, we can take everything to God in prayer, and lay our burdens on Him. That doesn't mean we get to rest on our laurels now. We are still running the race, and part of that race is trying our best to do and be all the things listed above. When was the last time you tried to outdo someone in showing honor? When was the last time I blessed the person who cut me off in traffic, or the people who try to mock my faith? As a people, we are terrible about acting haughty. These days its being called holier-than-thou and its not a compliment.
None of this is to say I'm very good at this either. I'm argumentative, petty, anger prone, and I have the vocabulary of a sailor when I want to. But I'm trying. I have drastically cut down on the profanity in my daily speech. And I know I need to try harder. I need to be more zealous, more honorable, more noble, more generous. It's not an easy task, but its what Christ asks of us.
How can we tell Him who bore the full weight of our sins, who died a torturous death, and broke the gates of Hell for us that we won't even try to be the kindest, noblest, gentlest people on the planet the way He asks us to? Do we really want to face Him on Judgement Day and say it was too hard?
~PhysicsGal
Take a look at what Paul says we should be doing as those who have been saved.
Not that Christians have ever live up to bar that has been set for us, but I can't help but feel a lot of us aren't even trying anymore. "How can we show honor when the idea of honor has been discredited and discarded?", we simultaneously ask and excuse ourselves. "How can we do what is noble in the sight of all in these days of extreme relativism?" We have let the world tarnish those things we should be striving towards, and so tried to excuse ourselves from even trying, and let everything kinda slide too. How convenient of this world we are suppose to transform to have removed such a difficult goal.Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21 NRSV)
Our lives as Christians were never supposed to be easy. The burden is easy and the yoke is light because we know where we are going. Whatever happens in this life, we will rest in the bosom of Christ. We will see the peaceful kingdom. In this life, we can take everything to God in prayer, and lay our burdens on Him. That doesn't mean we get to rest on our laurels now. We are still running the race, and part of that race is trying our best to do and be all the things listed above. When was the last time you tried to outdo someone in showing honor? When was the last time I blessed the person who cut me off in traffic, or the people who try to mock my faith? As a people, we are terrible about acting haughty. These days its being called holier-than-thou and its not a compliment.
None of this is to say I'm very good at this either. I'm argumentative, petty, anger prone, and I have the vocabulary of a sailor when I want to. But I'm trying. I have drastically cut down on the profanity in my daily speech. And I know I need to try harder. I need to be more zealous, more honorable, more noble, more generous. It's not an easy task, but its what Christ asks of us.
How can we tell Him who bore the full weight of our sins, who died a torturous death, and broke the gates of Hell for us that we won't even try to be the kindest, noblest, gentlest people on the planet the way He asks us to? Do we really want to face Him on Judgement Day and say it was too hard?
~PhysicsGal
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