Tuesday, October 30th, 2018

The tragic Pittsburgh synagogue shooting this past weekend continues to make headlines, but one headline yesterday was more important than those surrounding the shooter, his motives, and the destruction he caused. That headline was that the first doctors and nurses to treat the gunman for his injuries were Jewish. Dr. Jeffrey Cohen is the president of Allegheny General Hospital and also a member of the synagogue that was targeted by the shooter. In a true testament to the power of God to show up in the darkest of times, the nurses and doctors treating the shooter treated him with the same care and attention that anyone would receive in that hospital. God is always with us and when we live for Him and with Him everyday, our normally selfish and earthly desires for revenge and sin melt away. The closer we are to God, the more our gut reactions will reflect His will. Jesus famously said in Matthew, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” If those doctors and nurses can lay down their earthly desires to treat someone who just killed their friends, we, too, can treat our perceived enemies with the love and respect we wish for ourselves. Today, lay down your desires for revenge or victory over your enemies at the feet of Jesus and view them the way Jesus does.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” – Matthew 5:43-44 NIV