Loving Your Enemies
This is optional, right? ...right?
Matthew 5:43-48
“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.
Prayer
God,
We can’t do it. Really, we can’t. We just can’t live up to Jesus’ call for loving our enemies. All sorts of reasonable things are against us:
Our enemies seek to hurt us. What is it to try and love someone who is actively trying to hurt us? Should we just walk on up and give them a hug only to get a knife in the back in return?
I mean, you were the one who taught Israel to wipe out those peoples who would come against them. Right? The Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. “Make no treaty with them,” it says. “Show them no mercy.”
Listen, God, I’m drawn to you because of Jesus and the love you demonstrate through him. I actually want to love my enemies. In theory, it sounds great and like a solution for peace. But in practice, Lord, I confess that I just don’t get it.
And honestly, I’m frustrated with many of my Christian brothers and sisters who seem to be war hawks in these days, God. (Surely it’s not within your will for us to allow others to do the dirty work of eliminating our enemies so we can keep our hands clean…?)
So help me, God.
I want to believe, and honestly, I choose to believe that you love everyone. So I can jive with the call to love all as you love all. But man oh man…am I going to need your help. So give me Jesus, the one who forgave even as they nailed him to a cross. Make me like Christ, who died for me while I was still in sin. Help me see my enemies as he does.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.
We’re beginning a new cycle of Jesus Daily this coming Monday. Invite your friends and family. :-)
But for real, your feedback for the future would be much appreciated.