How to LOVE Your ENEMY.Sample

Turn The Other Cheek

What does it mean to get slapped? It means to be highly disrespected! It’s not every day that people get slapped in contemporary society. Well… except if you’re Chris Rock and it’s the Oscars and you make a joke about a certain someone’s wife. Then you might cop a hot one on the cheek. But I digress.

Slaps aren’t an everyday occurrence in our culture. But being disrespected is. And that’s what a slap is – it’s the pinnacle of disrespect. When someone gets all up in your personal space and forcefully drives their hand through your grill. That’s offensive.

So much of our world is driven by the economy of respect. Who has it, who doesn’t – who gives respect and who gets it.

And surfing runs on the economy of respect, too. Respect the line-up. Respect the locals. Respect this. Respect that. Don’t get me wrong here, respect is a very good thing. The ten commandments are all about respect for God and respect for your fellow man. But Jesus famously said, “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.” (Matthew 5:38)

You see, Jesus wants us to not live by the economy of this world, where respect is demanded (often violently) but rather by the economy of His Kingdom, where righteousness is the currency.

When you allow an evil person to run their course without challenge, suddenly their evil has no hold on you any longer. It no longer matters when a local curses you for no fault of your own, or when someone snakes you continuously and blatantly, because Jesus says: Do not resist an evil person.

Suddenly, your being disrespected doesn’t render you offended.

In the same way, you can show respect to everyone, even those who may be overlooked or disrespected in our current culture simply because of the way they look or act. You can recognise the value in everyone, regardless of their social status.

What a beautiful way to show you live in a different Kingdom!

Reflect:

How do you show respect to others, and who do you show respect to? Just those who have ‘status’… or everyone you meet?

When was the last time you felt disrespected? What happened? How can you take a step forward today to live not in the respect economy but in the righteousness economy?

Pray:

Lord, help me live Your way, not mine. Help me see the value in others and to truly respect and love them as You do. Help me live not for others’ approval, but in a way that shows I belong to You. Amen!