Something Greater

The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part Four: A Mother in Anguish My Name Does Not Matter "You do not want to be God's enemy." Note: The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part One introduced a story of faith, love and salvation, told through the lives of two remarkable women: Deborah and Jael. Part Two imagined Deborah telling her story, as if she were speaking to us all now, face-to-face. Part Three focused on the story of Jael, a woman living in the same region as Deborah, but in very different circumstances. Jael's story was not epic, and it was not pretty. But it was ruthless in its honesty and in its pursuit of what matters most to a person. These women remind us that God desires that we fully rely upon what he says, God desires that we fully love what God loves, and hate and what God hates, and God desires that we fully live with him. But there was a third woman in the story...a woman who is not named...a woman who did not love what God loves. This wo...

My Enemy I often long misunderstood the definition of "enemy". I wrongly have placed the root of "enemy" upon my own feelings. I have thought that an enemy was one whom I hated because of wicked actions done to me. That is wrong. The Greek work for "enemy" means hateful, odious or hostile...an adversary. Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, yet He did not say that they would thus cease being our enemies. Jesus made no guarantee that an enemy would become a friend if we demonstrate love. Whether someone is my enemy does not depend upon whether I hate them or not. Rather, my enemy is one who hates me. Jesus often referred to Satan as our adversary, and Satan hates us, seeking to devour us. Yet, we seldom hate Satan. We usually ignore or disbelieve his existence. He most often successfully deceives us by masquerading as an angel of light. Satan, however, remains our enemy, whether we hate him or not. No, my enemy is not one whom I hate. M...