September 21, 2010 Talking to God 2

"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven."

Good First Day of Fall Morning to you, my dear brothers and sisters. There is a nip in the air at the Southern Location of the North Pole today. Ah fall, I love it. Fall and Spring, no one can paint a prettier picture than our Lord God. Just watch over the next few weeks as He gets His color art going. It is Tuesday, blessed Tuesday and the day we pray for a cure to be given to us by Jesus for all those things like Cancer, Heart Problems, Sugar Problems, Liver Problems, yes, folks, God gave us the cure years ago for TB and a lot of other diseases and now we pray for the cure, be it direct from Him or through the hands of those He lent the talent to work on these things. We just would love to see the cure. And please today pray for all those you know, like Kathleen who has cancer, and for all those you know who like Pastor Charles who has had a stroke or other Heart related problems. Pray for Pastor Tony and others like him who have failing eyesight. Pray for Dolores and others whose spines are twisting. Pray for Janet and others whose backs are hurting. Pray for Blanch and others like her who go three times a week to have their blood cleaned because their kidneys have failed. And pray for all of us, including me, who have sinned.

Talking to God 2: Matthew 5: 43 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven." (NIV)

Folks, so many people give the name "Christian" a really bad rap, that I do wonder if half the people who claim to be a Christian even know what it means. To be a Christian is not to just believe in God, but to believe all that is in the Bible and to do your very, very best to live each day to be "Christ Like" for that is just what the word Christian means, Christ Like.

Sometimes it really is not easy being a follower of Jesus, for He indeed expects a lot out of us. It is not just raising one's hands in church and singing or going to the altar and confessing your sins, it is living for Jesus the way He wants us to live. Some of the things He expects from us are not easy, really they are not. The scripture that Jesus pointed out to me today is just one of those things... Pray for your enemies. WHAT!!! Pray for those who persecute you!!! Gosh that is very hard to do some days, very hard. It is easy to pray for those you love and for your children and family, but we are to pray for that person who just stood and trashed you and we are to love them.

So you ask, you are saying we need to pray for them and love them. Yes, I am saying that but only because that is what Jesus is telling me to tell you and what is in His Word. In fact, our scripture today is a quote from Jesus. When I was but a child I used to pray for my enemies, I would say a prayer like this... Lord, please don't let those guys beat me up. But did I ever pray for them by talking to God about them saying something like this... Dear Lord, I love those guys but they hate me, but Lord that is ok, please protect me from them and please help them get to know You so they stop fighting others and love You. No, I never prayed like that back when I was a child, I prayed for my parents, my brother sometimes unless he was the one beating me up. (He was bigger than me and it seems he would nail me once in a while.) And I prayed for my dog and for a new bike and things like that. God gives us many things that are hard to do, maybe it is the real test of our love for Him, but checking on our love for others... Let me ask all of you this today, how long has it been since we prayed for those we are fighting in the wars? I mean we stand and pray for our nation and we pray for our military but do we pray for the military of those we are fighting or do we pray for those who bombed us?

When I look at what is going on in New York, with the Muslims wanting to build that mosque near the site of the World Trade buildings, I must look it like this. First is it legal for them to build, and then, folks, we need to forgive those who were involved in the actions of 9/11/01. Chances are that those wanting to build were not involved. But we as Christians, ones who follow Jesus, are to forgive and love them. Hard, you bet, as I said, it is not easy being a Christian and when you tell people you are praying for the other side, well you might just find more people hating you.

Today's scripture is a hard one, so take time to talk to God about it, really that's what praying is all about, talking to God and remember when you talk to Him, listen, for He will talk with you.

Dear Father in Heaven, teach us to love, truly love, those who do not like us or even hate us. Lord, I see so much in life where hate is going on, going on all around us. Lord, help me not to fall into those traps of hating. Lord, please hear our prayers today for cures for those things that harm and/or kill us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Now go forth loving your enemies and praying for them, and hey, you might even share some of your blessings with them. Love ya, dan.