<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Exodus 1;12-14<div><br></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.</b></div><div><b>13. &nbsp;So they made the people of Israel, serve with rigor,</b></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;And made their lives, bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field; in all their work they made them serve with rigor.<br></b><br>To oppress others is unjust. &nbsp; Kindness, (one of the fruits of the Spirit), is not natural to sinful human nature.</div><div>The lash, whip, and rod certainly do motivate the flesh to labor, but they embitter the soul.</div><div>Coercive force of threat is crushing to the human spirit.</div><div><br></div><div>In the economy of human relations, resorting to such force imposed upon others, does produce begrudging obedience, but it also produces guilt and fear&nbsp;in the heart of the&nbsp;oppressor. &nbsp;Satan deceives oppressors to believe they are better than the oppressed.&nbsp;Pride is ‘Satan’s salve’ to justify injustice.</div><div><br></div><div>All this being true, is not Christianity amazing in that we are exhorted to, <i>“love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 5;44) &nbsp;&nbsp;<span>Why? Because it serves to witness to our oppressors that we are not of this world. &nbsp;It shows them the face of our merciful God. &nbsp;It metaphorically&nbsp;heaps burning coals upon their heads, compelling some of them&nbsp;(those whom God has chosen to be saved),&nbsp;to hunger and thirst for righteousness. (see also, Ephesians 6;5-8). It shows the unrepentant that their condemnation is just.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Consider this as well: following our Lord Jesus by faith and the Holy Spirit&nbsp;in our own exodus out of slavery to sin into the freedom of partaking in the Divine Nature, is so difficult for the flesh, that we, (like the Israelites) sometimes would choose to return to slavery, rather than have to live by the obedience of&nbsp;faith alone. Yet, such a walk of faith is joyful to the new-man created in Christ Jesus. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>In such cases, the real power belongs to the slave. &nbsp;It is the power of forgiving love.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>This is why we so desperately need our baptismal-death to sin in Christ. &nbsp;Death sets slaves free.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, we are astounded and amazed that the love You have poured into our hearts gives us power to love those who oppress us. Bless us Father to truly walk in newness of life, resurrected with Jesus, able to truly love our enemies, not by the power of flesh, but by faith in Your own indwelling presence. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><br></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>

Exodus 1;12-14
12.  But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.13.  So they made the people of Israel, serve with rigor,14.  And made their lives, bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field; in all their work they made them serve with rigor.

To oppress others is unjust.   Kindness, (one of the fruits of the Spirit), is not natural to sinful human nature.The lash, whip, and rod certainly do motivate the flesh to labor, but they embitter the soul.Coercive force of threat is crushing to the human spirit.
In the economy of human relations, resorting to such force imposed upon others, does produce begrudging obedience, but it also produces guilt and fear in the heart of the oppressor.  Satan deceives oppressors to believe they are better than the oppressed. Pride is ‘Satan’s salve’ to justify injustice.
All this being true, is not Christianity amazing in that we are exhorted to, “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”  (Matthew 5;44)   Why? Because it serves to witness to our oppressors that we are not of this world.  It shows them the face of our merciful God.  It metaphorically heaps burning coals upon their heads, compelling some of them (those whom God has chosen to be saved), to hunger and thirst for righteousness. (see also, Ephesians 6;5-8). It shows the unrepentant that their condemnation is just.
Consider this as well: following our Lord Jesus by faith and the Holy Spirit in our own exodus out of slavery to sin into the freedom of partaking in the Divine Nature, is so difficult for the flesh, that we, (like the Israelites) sometimes would choose to return to slavery, rather than have to live by the obedience of faith alone. Yet, such a walk of faith is joyful to the new-man created in Christ Jesus.  
In such cases, the real power belongs to the slave.  It is the power of forgiving love.
This is why we so desperately need our baptismal-death to sin in Christ.  Death sets slaves free.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, we are astounded and amazed that the love You have poured into our hearts gives us power to love those who oppress us. Bless us Father to truly walk in newness of life, resurrected with Jesus, able to truly love our enemies, not by the power of flesh, but by faith in Your own indwelling presence.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”




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