Serving God and Others: Devotions From Time of GraceНамуна

Love your enemies? Really?

It takes no great spiritual powers to love your spouse, your parents, your children, and your friends. Christians aren’t the only ones to appreciate people who are kind to them--anybody can turn on charm when it’s to his or her advantage.

It takes a Christian with Spirit-power within to love people who are not nice to you. The same Savior whose first words from the cross were “Father, forgive them” said this to his disciples on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45).

People who are rude to you, bad-mouth you, hurt you, even betray you are not really the enemy. They are victims of the enemy. Every person who does you some ill was designed by the Creator to be beautiful, good, and an heir of heaven. Some of them can be won back to God’s ways, but that never happens by revenge, retaliation, or payback.

Here is a powerful way in which you can love Jesus back for the way in which he loved the unlovable (i.e., you): by returning evil with kindness, abuse with prayer, and hatred with love.