Loving Our Enemies

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” — Matthew 5:43-44

The challenging words of Matthew 5:43-48 call us to a radically different love than that of our world. We are to “Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.” That’s the opposite of our natural tendency, isn’t it? We prefer the first part of Jesus’s teaching better, don’t we — “You have heard it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy?’” But Jesus refuses to let his followers live like the rest of the world. He demands a different kind of love and devotion, one that sacrifices the self and embraces His resurrection life. Left to ourselves, we will only love those who love us and avoid those who oppose us. In Christ’s transforming grace and mercy, however, we are freed from the cycle of retaliation and preferential treatment. He draws us into a higher calling to reflect the character of our heavenly Father, who shows kindness to both the just and the unjust. Loving our enemies is not optional. It’s a defining mark of those who belong to God. 

In practice, this kind of love begins with prayer, as we bring those who have wronged us before God and ask for their good rather than their harm. We follow prayer with the refusal to nurture bitter spirits by choosing forgiveness. Next, we actively seek ways to do good to our enemies even though they don’t deserve it. We speak the truth with gentleness, extend kindness, and resist the urge to repay evil with evil. This does not ignore justice or wisdom, but it places vengeance in God’s hands and trusts Him with the outcome. Practicing these steps will help us grow in our experience of heart transformation and Christlikeness. We must always remember that we were enemies of God when Christ died for us and reconciled us to Himself (Romans 5:8-10). To live like Him means we are obliged to love our enemies in the same way. Therefore, pray for them.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You loved me when I was Your enemy. You died for me while I was still a sinner. Please show me how to love my enemies as You have loved me.

Reflection Questions: 

1. Who in your life is difficult to love, and how might God be calling you to begin praying for them? 
2. What steps can you take to release bitterness and pursue forgiveness in a specific relationship? 

Weekly Memory Verse: Indeed, I count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him… — Philippians 3:8-9a