Wednesday 18 July 2012

Love Your Enemies




Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  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;
Mat 5:45  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.
Mat 5:46  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

I think  we've all heard preaching on this topic, from the Beatitudes, and the story of the good Samaritan. But can we be honest a moment? Who of us actually loves those who are nasty and cruel and hateful towards ourselves? I get a failing grade here. It's easy to be a "good Christian" to those who are nice, and who treat us with love and respect. Not so much with that other kind of person, the ones who would spit in your face given half a chance.

God has tested me over and over on this one, and I fail each time.

In another situation, Jesus disciples asked Him:

 Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?



 and I take comfort in Jesus' answer (I know this isn't a salvation issue....):

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

6 comments:

  1. Nothing will be impossible with God the angel told Mary.

    I should remind myself of this all the time.

    Hope is what keeps us alive. :)

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    Replies
    1. So true, Ma. We continue to try, and our flesh continues to fail us, but Jesus is LONGsuffering, and He is our only hope :)

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  2. How true sister, I am in the same boat with you. We will continue to be tested in this area until we pass the test. I am telling you the truth, people today are as hateful as they could possibly be. No one speaks on the streets, people in the workplace are very cross with one another and have nothing good to say about others. I have struggled with looking past all that and seeing them through the biblical lens of truth...they are dead in sin, unable to even see how unloving they are. They need to be 'killed with kindness'; we as the body of Christ should be doing this daily.

    My prayer is that the body of Christ will walk humbly with our God, and love as Christ loves us. If we feed upon His word, our minds will be renewed and we will be less prone to being 'thin-skinned' when the world mocks or lashes out. We will get there because our God is faithful and He will keep 'at us' until we overcome; then it's on to the 'next trial'!!

    Bless you,
    Lyn

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lyn,

      "Blessed are the overcomers"

      You are right, I know that over time the Lord has changed me...and I see more clearly the things that He does not approve of in MYSELF (instead of only seeing those things in others like I have to sadly admit comes much more easily to me).

      To be "less prone to being 'thin-skinned'" YES! That is what's needed exactly. To recognize, with Jesus: "Father forgive them FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO".

      They do not have a clue about what they are doing, they do not see themselves as the Lord sees them. They are to be pitied and not hated. I need to remind myself of this every day, no, every hour! ;)

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  3. I think that the teaching to love our enemies is perhaps the hardest in the whole Bible. And yes, it is impossible for man, but not for God.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Leslie,

      We can "fake it" but without Him we cannot make it (true, that is)

      Delete

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