But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:44
Who is your enemy?
Someone who hurt you?
Someone who doesn’t agree with you?
Someone who thinks differently than you do?
Who likes someone you don’t like?
Someone who hurts others?
Someone who did you wrong?
Someone who stole from you
or who did a shady business deal to you?
Someone who betrayed you?
A leader who does wickedness?
Love them, no matter what
Jesus told us to
Doing this is not possible in the flesh
You need God’s help
to truly forgive someone from the bottom of your heart
so that then you can love them
It takes humility,
courage,
strength,
determination,
admitting to the Lord that you need His help
Love is not something we can easily give to give to our enemies
It is an effort
Imagine being tortured and forgiving your torturers
Stephen loved his enemies while he was being stoned to death
Paul was also able to love his torturers
Jesus was able to love his enemies while He was on the cross
How did Paul and Stephen get the strength?
It was from the Lord
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
Get that flow from the Lord going inside your heart
It’s not easy to love your enemies
It is what we are commanded to do:
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45
Scriptural References:
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:60
And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep,
and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword,
and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying,
Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling,
and fell down before Paul and Silas,
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord,
and to all that were in his house.
And he took them the same hour of the night,
and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
And when he had brought them into his house,
he set meat before them,
and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Acts 27:26-34
So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you,
if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother’s trespasses.
Matthew 18:35