Love Your Enemies

Perhaps the most natural instinct we have is to love our friends and family, but to hate our enemies or those who have done wrong against us. This was reflected in the lives of first century Jewish leaders who took a verse about loving your neighbour and assuming it meant hating your enemy.

But here Jesus is introducing the New Covenant, A New Kingdom. A new way of living and he’s raising the bar. Jesus is changing the narrative of how things were THEN to how they should be NOW.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be a direct reflection of God Himself. And God is Love.

It is his very nature. When you love your enemies, you reveal what kind of God our God is.

Who is your enemy? Someone who opposes you, hurts you, hates you.

There are three key words in this scripture that illuminate what the love of Jesus and His followers are to look like:

LOVE

Love in our culture and society is based on emotion, a feeling.

Biblical love is a decision and can often go against our first natural reaction or response. Love is the essence of the Christian faith. Love says in spite of what you do to or say to me - I will love and do good.

Jesus is always the perfect example of this. When he was beaten and mocked he said not a word and later said on the cross, “Father forgive them”.

How can we love?

• Understand these people are God’s creation and God loves them.
• Understand WE were once enemies of God and while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

BLESS

To bless means to speak well of. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If your heart hates, your words will be hateful. If you love and forgive, your words will be kind, you will bless and speak well of others.

PRAY

Sometimes the only way we can love, bless and forgive our enemies, is to pray for God’s help. Pray for God’s strength to love and forgive our enemies.