1 Minute Daily Devotions
August 21, 2009
Forgiving Our Enemies
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us.” - Ephesians 4:32
In 1962 in Montgomery, Alabama, a young, unknown Baptist preacher came home to find a large crowd gathered in front of his house that had just been bombed.
He quickly ran inside to see if his wife and daughter had survived. Miraculously, he found that they had not been harmed. He comforted them before going back outside to the large angry crowd.
They had gathered with chains and weapons to retaliate against the white community for such a despicable deed. He told them there would be no retaliation saying, “Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to forgive those who persecute us. Now go home.” Thus, began the legacy of an amazing man with a unique spirit—Martin Luther King, Jr.
What King did on that occasion isn’t natural—it’s supernatural. The ability to forgive our enemies who have wronged us is often beyond our natural ability, but it is the Spirit of Christ. It is true Christianity. It is a power available to us all and it can change the world.
Comments on this Devotion
From Jerry on Aug 21st:
Around June 12 1989 my father suffered a moderate heart attack and was sent to the area hospital, when he was able to be removed from ICU, because of the insurance that he had he was sent home instead of being in a regular room. He worked for the local school as a custodian, so the principal said if he was able to be out of the hospital he was able to be at work. His Doctor said he could not do anything that took a great deal of work and he had to be inside in order to do anything. The second day back at work he was outside pushing a lawnmower in the middle of the day and pulling weeds out of a flower bed, he came home and suffered a fatal heart attack and was dead when he fell to the floor. We were told to sue the principal and the school system but we didn't because we said it was his time to go. I am not proud to say this but it was not long after this that the man lost his job, home and his wife divorced him because of marital problems. I have allways said I believe in a doughnut theory - what goes around, comes around. God took care of things and my Dad is in Heaven waiting on us. I kinda know how Dr. King felt. Have a blessed day
From Janice on Aug 21st:
Wow! Jerry what a powerful witness you have. You have peace about a true injustice because of your faith in a loving God Who we are told is the only One to Whom vengeance belongs. I am glad you were able to get past resentment and retain your blessed faith. Thanks for sharing this personal encounter with us about what the world deals out to us and how God gives us peace in the midst of a storm.