Christian Bible Lesson 62: Add More People to Your Life, Even Enemies  

Bible Verse

“Faithful are the wounds a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are profuse.”  Proverbs 27:6

“And Jonathan, Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.” 1 Samuel 23:16

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

The verse in Proverbs stresses the point that reaching out to your enemies has tremendous benefits.  In the verse from 1 Samuel, the son of David’s enemy went to him and gave him strength.  There are many verses in the Bible that communicate the benefits of working to help your enemies.  Although we are not fighting wars against other nations, we do have our own conflicts in our lives. We make decisions on a regular basis that affect people who hurt us. 

At the time we are hurt by another person, it takes strength to pause and think about the challenges faced by the person who is persecuting us.  However, our life will be dramatically improved if our effort converts an enemy into a friend. 

Of course, not all enemies can be converted to friends.  Sometimes the other person is beyond redemption.  If you just turn one enemy into a friend, your life will benefit substantially.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Many years ago, I managed a technology group in a large bank.  Part of my job was to support other departments within the bank by providing them with technology.  The manager of one of the larger departments within the bank complained about my group to other departments.  I was not sure why he chose to hurt me, but I assumed it was because I was hired from outside the Bank instead of being promoted from within the bank.  My first reaction was to make his department a lower priority for support.  After thinking about the situation, I decided not to make quick response.  Instead, I invited him to lunch.  During our lunch meeting, he communicated his frustration with my group.  I began to see that he was not an evil person and that he had some good points.  I made changes to our support policy based on his input.  After a period, his support benefited my group.  

Then a year later I tried to sell a software application I created to the IT Group within the Bank.  The IT group said they could not buy the application because I was an employee of the Bank.  The department manager who had the original dispute with my group heard about the IT Department deciding not to purchase my software.  He immediately offered to purchase the application for his group.  Suddenly, the IT Department decided they could buy the software. 

A person who was an enemy of my group within the bank became a valuable friend.  Making the effort to understand your enemies will benefit your life.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

Converting an enemy into a friend can dramatically improve your life. Making the effort will not always yield the desired result, but not making the effort will make no improvement at all.