A WORD FOR TODAY, August 7, 2026
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you are blessed by this daily devotion.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, August 7, 2026
“‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.’” Matthew 5:43-48, WEB
I have been reading the posts of a man named Shahriq Khan who is a former Muslim who came to know and love Jesus Christ. He now has a ministry that shows the difference between the Koran and the Bible, pointing out the dishonesty of the record of Islam about God. In a post today, he showed how one verse in the Koran combines three different time periods and places: Esther’s story in Persia, the story of Babel in Mesopotamia, and Moses time in Egypt. His point at the end of the post was “When God tells history, the dates hold. All of them. Every time. All day every day.” He encourages Muslims to ask God honestly, admitting that deciding to believe the God of the Bible might lose family, culture, or career, but emphasizing that the Holy Spirit brings peace, fruitfulness, and the love of a son restored.
He spoke an interview that he was raised to embody “the light of Western Islam” after 9/11, but he began questioning his faith as an adult. He had debated Christians and defended Islam, but one sincere Christian man willingly had deep conversations with him. They talked about the Bible, and finally a few years ago he was transformed after desperate prayer caused by debt and disconnection. He prayed to Allah, but woke hearing the words, “Arise and go, you are healed.” He knew those words were from the true God and that Jesus was his savior. He now encourages others to follow Jesus. The interview impacted others who are now sharing their own stories of leaving Islam to become a Christian.
In one post, Shahriq talked about the Christian response to Muslims. He will not allow anyone on his page mock Muslims. He had experienced the world after 9/11, where people eyed those who looked Muslim with derision, suspicion, and hatred. He said that the word “Muslim” became like a weapon. He then confessed how difficult it is to leave the faith because attacks against family, friends, and fellow believers bonds people together. “Persecution doesn’t weaken tribal faith. It WELDS it that much tighter.” He said that questioning his faith didn’t feel like doubting doctrine, it felt like abandoning the people he loved for their enemies. “Every insult buys another decade of resistance. Every sneer confirms everything they were told about you.”
He reminds us that Jesus had compassion and that if we want to share the Gospel with Muslims (and anyone who rejects Jesus), we need to love them so that they will see that the truth is worth considering. It becomes safe because they see the grace in our actions, not the disdain, suspicion, and hatred. His story shows us how true this is, because it was a compassionate Christian who willingly spent time sharing the Gospel despite Shahriq’s devotion to his group and his god.
You may not have the confidence to spend time with a non-believer in Bible study or debate, but you can follow Jesus’ command to love them, to pray for them, to be compassionate even when they reject or persecute you. We are never to hate our enemy, but are to love them so well that they will see Christ in our lives. This is what it means to be perfect like our father. This may seem impossible, but that doesn’t mean that we should strive to be any less than Jesus expects. God has done the work in and through Him. We are salt and light. We can’t be either if we are treating our neighbors with disdain, suspicion, and hatred. We might be afraid, but we have God as our strength, and by standing firm in love, we will show those who hate us what grace truly is. You never know when an act of kindness will impact someone and cause them to turn from their old ways to follow the One true God.
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