Do not bear a grudge

Do not bear a grudge

“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” 
                      Leviticus 19:18.
For years I use to watch the conflict in Northern Ireland and the killing done in the name of religion.
My mothers family emigrated to England from Ireland in the mid eighteen hundreds. There reason was to get a better life which they eventually did get but apparently not without some people disliking the fact they were catholic.
The Northern Ireland conflict is very typical of men doing things supposedly in the name of God. When really they are doing it simply with a religious name.
Jesus was a man of peace he never preached insurrection against the dominating Romans. In fact he a Jew helped a Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13).
The disciples were the same way they showed the love of God to all men irrespective of who they were.
Those who were fighting in northern Ireland were not Christians they only happened to have the labels of Christian groups.
Over the years much has been done in the name of Christianity when really it was driven by prejudges. The classic example are the crusaders who went to war killing everyone who was supposedly not a Christian.
They and particularly their leaders lost track of the key thing in Christianity. Love your neighbour as yourself.
They missed the fact that Jesus said
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
                                                                                             Matthew 28:19,20 
Jesus never said convert people at the edge of a sword or by torture as happened at other times in history.
Christians are today according to what some watch groups are saying the most persecuted people in the world yet the words of the Bible are still there for Christians to obey when Leviticus states,
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.” 
                                       Leviticus 19:18.
Violence done in the name of Christ or a religious Christian group is not the “Christian” thing to do.
It was Jesus who told us to turn the other cheek.
True Christianity is reaching out to people in Love not bearing grudges or waging any kind of violence against ones fellow man.
Think about it.