Loving Our Enemies

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Scripture: Matthew 5: 43-45 (NIV)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Devotion:

            Today’s scripture may be one of the most radical sayings of Jesus. Our polarized society is steeped in culture wars, which denigrate those who believe differently than ourselves. These words of Jesus appear hopelessly irrelevant. Everyone seems perfectly content to look down on and disparage those who disagree with them. This command of Jesus is rarely lived out. Furthermore, it is denigrated and made fun of when it is lived out. In light of all this negativity, what do we gain by loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us?

            To answer this question, we must merely look at the following verses. First of all, loving our enemies means that we can be sure of our status as children of God the Father. We will be adopted, and no one can snatch us out of the father’s hand. Abraham Lincoln was reported to have said,” I change my enemies by making them my friends.” This is solid advice on how to handle disagreements. If at all possible, seek to make those who challenge us into friends by the power of God within each of us.

            We must not be envious of our enemies when they seem to prosper. We must remember that God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. God shows no partiality in dispensing common grace to all the earth's inhabitants, regardless of whether they live lives following His teaching. We, as Christians, must live exemplary lives knowing that we will have great reward in heaven on the last day.

            Still, even covering all that ground, the basic fact remains it is hard to love those who are our enemies and those who persecute us. We need God’s help. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit and love like that which allowed Jesus to suffer crucifixion on our behalf. We need to reach out with love that often may not be returned. Above all, we need the patience and perseverance to love our enemies and persecutors again and again regardless of the response. Let us pray that we may succeed in overcoming hate with love.

Prayer:

            Lord, dealing with our enemies is the hardest part of the Christian life. We so often go along to get along instead of standing for your truth regardless of the cost. Grant us the courage and the supernatural power you wish to give us. Fill us with the Holy Spirit to speak up and speak out against things counter to your will as you give us the understanding to see them. Let our speech be seasoned with salt so as not to offend anyone unnecessarily. May we be full of truth to share with this hurting and broken world. Amen.

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