Living Life by Design

Back in 1977, Bishop Festo Kivengere was part of a group of church leaders who delivered a letter of protest to Idi Amin, speaking out against the beatings, murder and unexplained disappearances of people taking place across Uganda. The next day, Festo Kivengere’s friend and church leader, Archbishop Janani Luwum was murdered by Idi Amin and Bishop Festo was driven into hiding and eventual exile.

Soon afterwards, Festo Kivengere published a book entitled “I Love Idi Amin”. In the book he explained the extraordinary title: ‘The Holy Spirit showed me that I was getting hard in my spirit… so I had to ask for forgiveness from the Lord, and for grace to love President Amin more… this was fresh air for my tired soul. I knew I had seen the Lord and been released: love filled my heart.’

Love is more than a feeling or emotion. It is a decision about how we choose to treat one another. Jesus was the supreme example of love in the history of the world. He tells us to love God, to love one another (John 13:34–35), to love our neighbour as ourselves and even to love our enemies. He demonstrates all this in his own life through dying on the cross for you and me…and including Judas who betrayed him.

Ask God to fill you with The Holy Spirit to help you love someone today…