My Good Enemy
April 1, 1995
In the Third Psalm, David begged God, "Strike all my enemies on the jaw!" (3:7, NIV). It probably didn't matter to David whether the Lord used a right hook or a left jab. He just wanted his enemies done in. After more than three decades in ministry, I confess that David-like prayers for retribution have sometimes spewed from my mouth. My suggested methods for the Lord's vengeance have been just as creative as the psalmist's. I've hoped some of my more vicious antagonists wouldn't survive surgery and that others' boats would sink a thousand miles from shore. For others, a quiet demise in the middle of the night would have satisfied me. These admissions would likely shock some of my friends--even some of my enemies. In fact, they shame me, even though I know that everyone in ministry struggles with the antics and attacks of enemies. Surprisingly, though, now that I approach three-score years, I am beginning to appreciate my enemies. The Lord is even bringing me to a conviction that enemies are good for us. I'd like to explain what brought me, much too late, to this conclusion. ENEMIES CAN BE RIGHT
One longtime adversary was also unpopular with the majority of the congregation. I considered him power-hungry, childish, and socially inept, which gave me adequate grounds, I felt, to count him as my foe. He once headed an attempt to get me fired, publicly accusing me of unorthodox teaching. The attempted coup fizzled, but his attacks never stopped for a period of about twenty years. We made attempts at friendship, but none were very successful. During one of the more peaceful periods, this man came to my office offering help. He had done graduate work in logic and felt he could help me with my sermon preparation. Stating that I didn't ...
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