Love Your Enemies: A How To GuideSample

Day 2: Practical Love for Our Enemies: Bless Them

The true story of THE BEST OF ENEMIES proves that, no matter how deep the divide between two people might be (and the divide between Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis was deep!) it is possible for love to eventually win over an enemy.

The Bible, in both Testaments, encourages us love those with whom we have conflict in this way. “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,” Solomon advises in Proverbs 25:22. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse,” Paul says in Romans 12:14. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone,” he adds three verses later.

It’s important to note that the kind of love we’ve been talking about in this study is that conveyed by the Greek word agape. This is not a feeling based on the other person’s likability or favor toward us, but rather an action of the will that does what is best for the other person. It’s the type of love God has and, therefore, it is not something we can muster ourselves. That’s why it is tempting to not even try. Culture certainly reinforces the notion that if someone doesn’t like us, we don’t have to like them, either. So we have a falling out with a family member that prevents us from talking for months or years. Or we get into daily disagreements on social media with those who challenge our faith or our politics.

But God doesn’t want us to settle for that kind of life. His Holy Spirit produces fruit in us that allows agape love to flow through us, even to our enemies! That’s the engine that drives the acts of blessing Scripture expects of us. Doing so can feel almost unnatural at first. But if we obey and act, it will empower us to bless our enemies in ways that might just turn them into friends. It worked for Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis!