Today's Devotional

January 21, 2005

Subject:  Be Hated And Not Give Way To Hating

Luke 6:28 - "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."

Those were the words of Rudyard Kipling in his poem, "If."  It echoes how the believer must respond to hate.  MLK stated it this way:  

"We don't have to hate as we try to straighten this situation out.  Let us always realize we don't have to become bitter as we try to straighten this situation out.

Somebody must have some sense in this world.  Somebody must have sense enough to meet hate with love.  Somebody must have sense enough to meet physical force with soul force.   If we will but try this way, we will be able to change these conditions and yet at the same time win the hearts and souls of those who have kept these conditions alive.

There is another way.  It's a way as old as the insights of Jesus of Nazareth.  A way as modern as the techniques of Mohandas K Ghandi.  There is another way.  A way as old as Jesus saying, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.  There is another way. A way as old as Jesus saying turn the other cheek.  When He said that He realized that turning the other cheek might bring suffering sometimes.  He realized that it might get your home bombed sometimes.  He realized that it might get you stabbed sometimes.  He realized that it might get you scarred up sometimes.  He was saying in substance, that it is better to go through life with a scarred up body rather than a scarred up soul.  

There is a power in this way.    

Our challenge is to live out the Christ life and realize that He can in fact bring about change as we submit to the words of Christ.  Martin Luther King Jr. didn't merely fight against the oppressive principles of a wayward society, He sought to bring all men under the submission of God by himself submitting to the words of Christ.  There is indeed "power in this way." 

Carlen