God is not your enemy

Hirō Onoda was a Japanese intelligence officer who joined the 61st Wakayama Regiment of the Infantry in December 1944. His destination… the Philippines, a U.S. territory occupied by Japan. In 1945, American troops took back the island. However, Onoda continued the war. He rejected the idea that it was over. In 1959, he was declared legally dead in Japan. When a Japanese student found him, Onoda stubbornly refused to accept the idea that the conflict had come to an end, unless he received his superior’s order to lay down his arms. In 1974, Onoda’s former commander went to Lubang Island to inform him of Japan’s defeat and order him to lay down his arms. Lieutenant Onoda left the jungle 29 years after World War II had ended…

We sometimes hide from God and are afraid of Him. Even if we sincerely trust the Lord concerning our salvation, we believe that our occasional sins make us God’s enemy. Like Onoda, we think the war is still ongoing. However, this war between God and us is finished. We are saved, reconciled, and friends with God. The Bible declares in Romans 5:10 that “when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.”

The word “reconciled” comes from the Greek word “katallasso,” which means “to return to favor with.” My friend, believe it. You are no longer an enemy, but a friend, of God. God reconciled you to Himself through the death of His Son. Jesus lives in you! You have His favor!

P.S. Today’s text is inspired by the book Émerveillé par l’amour de Dieu, by David Nolent, director of TopChrétien. I highly recommend this excellent book if you would like to know more about this subject and other wonderful biblical truths.