Serving Our Enemies

Deuteronomy 28:47-48b: Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; 48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, . . .

The Lord told the people of Israel what to expect if they did not serve Him. I suggest you read Deuteronomy 28:14-68. The passage reveals dozens of judgments of God upon the people of Israel who refused to serve Him.

One of the most distasteful things anyone has to do is to serve his enemies. The reality is that if we Gentiles do not serve the Lord, we too will be unknowingly serving enemies. If we do not serve the Lord we will serve the Devil.

1 Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

When we serve self, we are also serving an enemy.

2 Timothy 2:24-25: And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Before we received Jesus we all opposed ourselves. After we receive Jesus our flesh is still an enemy that must be defeated. Until the Lord comes our flesh will be our internal enemy of God and of ourselves.

Romans 8:7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Romans 7:24-25: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

1 Corinthians 9:27: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

In addition to the Devil and our flesh we all have some mortal men that are enemies. Try to remember a couple of your worst enemies. And then try to imagine being forced to serve them.

I recall a woman that I tried to share the gospel with one day after work. She rejected the Word of God in the most hateful way I have ever seen. She complained about my attempt to share the gospel with her to my supervisor. I later learned that she was a trouble maker for her own supervisors and for union officials for years. She was divorced and had no friends. She was fired a few months after our incident.

That woman would be the last person on the face of the earth that I would want to serve. But serving my flesh and serving the Devil are just as bad as serving that wicked woman. She was my enemy for a short time. The Devil and my flesh are always enemies. In a sense, when I pray for her I am serving her. I ask you to pray for her too. I sometimes doubt the sincerity of my own prayers for that pitiful woman.

Matthew 5:44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Care to discuss Serving Our Enemies with Ron?

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