Sunday, October 25, 2020 9:44:45 AM
Loving Your Enemies
"I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them. For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil. What reward do you deserve if you only love the lovable? Don’t even the transgressors do that? How are you any different from others if you limit your kindness only to your friends? Don’t even the ungodly do that?" ~ Matthew 5:44-47
After preaching the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us to love and pray for those who persecute us. But that can feel like an impossible task: Why are evil, broken people — especially those who harm blameless believers for professing faith — deserving of our prayers?
Nonetheless, we should be encouraged to pray, knowing that both Jesus and Stephen did so for the people who caused their deaths:
"While they were nailing Jesus to the cross, He prayed over and over, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” ~ Luke 23:34
"He [Stephen] crumpled to his knees and shouted in a loud voice, “Our Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” And then he died." ~ Acts 7:60
Think of their words as a reminder that even persecutors are created and known by a God who loves them just as much as He loves us. Remember, the Lord can radically and miraculously change the heart of anyone, even someone who seeks to wound His church.
Think About It:
• Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). How can we do that in today’s world?
• Are you able to consider those who persecute Christians as people God loves?
https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/loving-your-enemies
"I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them. For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil. What reward do you deserve if you only love the lovable? Don’t even the transgressors do that? How are you any different from others if you limit your kindness only to your friends? Don’t even the ungodly do that?" ~ Matthew 5:44-47
After preaching the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us to love and pray for those who persecute us. But that can feel like an impossible task: Why are evil, broken people — especially those who harm blameless believers for professing faith — deserving of our prayers?
Nonetheless, we should be encouraged to pray, knowing that both Jesus and Stephen did so for the people who caused their deaths:
"While they were nailing Jesus to the cross, He prayed over and over, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” ~ Luke 23:34
"He [Stephen] crumpled to his knees and shouted in a loud voice, “Our Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” And then he died." ~ Acts 7:60
Think of their words as a reminder that even persecutors are created and known by a God who loves them just as much as He loves us. Remember, the Lord can radically and miraculously change the heart of anyone, even someone who seeks to wound His church.
Think About It:
• Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). How can we do that in today’s world?
• Are you able to consider those who persecute Christians as people God loves?
https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/loving-your-enemies
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