Don’t Let Evil Conquer You… Hello weekend readers. I am going to dive into something that is very uncomfortable. Yet, I cannot help but share something that reminds us so much of how God wants us to live with one another, something I continue to muse on in my prayers and thoughts.

Each night I cringe when I watch the news and the deaths of Palestinians, especially the children. Why? Is it really OK to slaughter families to just get to one Hamas terrorist? I’m sorry, but in the Bible this is NOT right—it is NOT OK. Read this traditional Hebrew story about Abraham and think about it deeply:

Old Abraham tells of a time when he was sitting outside his tent one evening when an old man, weary from age, came toward him. Abraham ran out to greet the man and invited him in. He gave the old man food and drink and began talking to him. “Do you worship God?” Abraham asked. “No, I don’t,” the man replied. “I worship fire and have no reverence for any other god.” Abraham was furious. So he grabbed the old man by the shoulders and threw him out into the cold night. After he had gone, God asked Abraham why he forced him out. “Because he didn’t worship you,” Abraham answered. “Abraham,” God responded, “I have tolerated his ignorance for 80 years. Could you not endure him one night?”

The Hamas terrorists are awful—all terrorists are awful! They have embedded themselves among innocents and use them as shields. These people have no money, no food, and for years have actually had their civil rights taken by Israel along with encroachment on their land; they live in a crossroads of nothing but death and destruction. They have no ability to get rid of Hamas; in fact, they literally have nothing. This isn’t new, however. The bitter hatred between Israel and Palestine is thousands of years old and neither side is ready to extend the olive branch.

In Romans 12:20-21 [GNT], we read: “Instead, as the scripture says: ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame.’ Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.”

What is your attitude to people who don’t revere God? Are you like Abraham, and toss them out or do you welcome them and love them even if they are far from God’s grace? In this world, we don’t always get to pick and choose whom we want in our circles and I believe that has been orchestrated by God from the beginning of the world. Why? Because if we cannot share Christ, we are just as lost as those wandering far from God.

When I listen to the indignation of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, I almost gag at the hatred; and yes, my heart is heavy as well for those who hate Jews, or any other ethnicities. If we look at these people as “God’s enemies that have to be taken out” we are totally missing the love of God! If we let indignation toward these people continue to grow in our hearts and minds, we are dropping our responsibility of sharing the Good News of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. And therein is Israel’s problem of not embracing the Messiah, along with many other millions of people on this globe, oh what they are missing out on!

How long will we accept the evil that Satan hands out? It can conquer you if you let it in, and sadly many people think hatred of another ethnicity, especially those who don’t believe in God, should be wiped off the face of the earth. We’ve forgotten that all people belong to God!

On this Veterans Day, I once again am reminded of my father who was a sniper in WWII and a part of camp liberations for the Jews. What he saw, the reels he took are in the Holocaust Museum. His heart was always heavy for the death of 6+ million Jews and “the others not fit” according to Hitler’s ideas. My dad had to go to Nuremburg for testimony as well. He went along with another soldier, his good friend, who was an Orthodox Jew. I thank all our soldiers who put themselves on the line to help others who were being crushed and killed.

Sadly, it continues, we have forgotten the words in Matthew, where Jesus was preaching the Beatitudes: “You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

We have a choice: we can shine for Christ or not. Do you want to make a difference in this world? In Christ, we can, so you know the choice you must make, AMEN.