Greet Enemies With God's Love
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," -- Matthew 5:44
I thought I'd misunderstood. Surely, the reporter wasn't talking about a preacher vowing to burn the koran. That is reminiscent of cross burning by the KKK on the lawns of blacks or their supporters. That was done in the name of God, too.
It's a horrible thing. Burning the koran is all about hate. Hate comes from Satan, not God. Sure, the God revealed in the Old Testament is sometimes an angry God. Sometimes we are punished for our sins -- though never to the degree we deserve. But God doesn't hate. He loves. And that is what He has called us to do.
What upsets me most is that people hear this and see "christians" as hateful and disrespectful of the beliefs of others. No one wants to learn about christianity. They aren't interested in meeting Jesus. They think they know what He stands for. They see christians as narrow-minded people intent on destroying anyone who has beliefs different from their own. That isn't Jesus at all but they can't see His face because of the hatred that stands in the way.
Jesus invited everyone to His altar. He reached out to all people, including tax collectors, prostitutes and Samarians. His love shown through and many came to follow Him and welcome Him into their hearts. We, too, should reach out in love to all those around us, including Muslims and those who have no real beliefs at all. It's what Jesus would do.
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