Love your enemies

Bible Workers pray with some ladies

"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you." Proverbs 25:21-22
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Laxman and his wife looked at the small group of ladies before them with disappointment. Not because the ladies were there but because so many others they had invited hadn't shown up. Laxman is a JFA Bible Worker in India; he and his wife wanted to minister to the ladies in the village where Laxman served, so they invited many of them to a meeting they were hosting. Why had so few come? 

The answer came at the end of the meeting when the village head lady came to speak with them.

"I am the one who asked the ladies not to attend the meeting," she boasted, "because you try to convert our poor and innocent ladies."

Sometime later, the village head lady fell ill. She was afraid to visit the doctor, and the thought crossed her mind to ask Laxman to pray for her. Nervous to contact him, she stayed silent, but God had other plans. 

Laxman found out that the head lady was sick and took the initiative to visit her. He prayed for her, and God answered his prayers. The head lady got better! 

After personally experiencing God's love and power, the head lady was ashamed of her actions. She had prevented other ladies from receiving the blessings she had received. She asked for forgiveness and started to attend the meetings led by Laxman and his wife. 

Laxman is so thankful to God for this miracle and requests prayers for the head lady and her family to accept the truth. 

Laxman could have brushed aside the head lady's need. He could have treated her as his enemy for hindering his ministry, but his decision to show God's love for her when she did not deserve it opened the way for God to work in her heart. 

He understood that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities" and "powers." (Ephesians 6:12)

Who do we see as our enemies? Do we recognize the spiritual battles going on around us? What victories can be gained for God's kingdom as we treat others, friend or foe, as His precious creations?

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