The Most Difficult Command

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Scripture: Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)

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:

            The double commands found in verse 44 above are the most difficult commands to obey in the Bible. They are counter-intuitive. The last thing any human wants to do to someone who hates us (with or without cause) is to show them Christlike love in return. Praying for the well-being of such a one is not a natural act. It is clear, however, from the Greek text that loving and praying for those we do not like is an imperative, a command, not a suggestion.

            Since it is a command, we must find a way to accomplish it. The Lord’s commands are notoriously difficult for us humans to obey. One only needs to open the Bible to chapter 3 of Genesis to find that even when there was only one singular command, we humans failed to obey it. To attempt to follow the Lord’s commands without being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit is great folly. This command is no exception. To love and pray for our opponents, we will need, I believe, a double portion of the Spirit to help us.

            Why would the Lord issue such a problematic command as this? First, we need to open our eyes to the fact that as He was being crucified, Jesus prayed for His executioners. Jesus asks us only to imitate Him by following these commands. Second, praying for our enemies and acting lovingly toward them is a positive witness to the life-changing power of the gospel. Even the most jaded critic of Christianity must admit that love raised to this level is a powerful argument for the life changed by Christ.

            Finally, and most importantly, our enemy is made in the creator's image, just like us. In the end, when all has been said and done, verse 45 speaks loudly to us. The sun and the rain and indeed all good things come upon the most devout atheist and the most devout Christian without distinction. If our God loves all people enough to provide daily bread and other necessities of life, then we should do likewise and repay those who reject the Christian gospel and us personally with love and respect.

            Let us then be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we may see God's image in every person we meet today and every day. Let us draw near to our Lord in prayer, asking His powerful help to love and pray for those who are our enemies and persecutors.

Prayer:

            Lord God Almighty, send your Holy Spirit down upon us today in a mighty way. Empower us to act, O Lord, with true Christian love and charity for all people, not just those we like. Lord, train the eyes of our flesh and the eyes of our hearts to see Jesus in everyone we meet today. May our acts of love and charity toward even the most vicious attackers of the faith shine with the image of Jesus. Amen

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