' “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 children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.'
Matthew 5:43-45 ESV
People will hurt you, scorn you, and spit in your face. In these times, we even find our fists balled up and itching for a fight. But what does Jesus say about these things? Essentially: Love them anyway. What does that mean? Does it mean that everyone has to be your best friend? No. Does it mean then that you have to be happy and perfect all the time? Of course not!
So, then, where is the key found to “loving your enemies?”
It is found in our identity: we are all sinners in the hands of a heartbroken and loving God. We all make mistakes and sometimes do evil things in the eyes of God. Look further in the passage from Matthew. The truth here is exactly as the Lord says it. God gives rain to you and your enemies; He raises the same sun every morning, not just for you, but for everyone you hate and for everyone who has ever hated you. And remember who you were before He saved you: you were a sinner. Think about the ones who hate you...they don’t need someone to hate them back. They hurt; they laugh; they’re human, just like you, and just like me. In Christ, we are free to forgive them. Does this mean that we cannot have boundaries against those who have hurt us deeply? Absolutely not. Actually, understanding why we must have boundaries should give us hope in the fact that He loves us without them. A good practice here that, I believe, will tie all of this together is a simple meditation. As you go about your day-to-day, think this:
“This person that I feel animosity toward, Jesus loves them. So how can I pray for them? How can I pray for them to prosper? How can I pray for their soul?”
Loving your enemy doesn’t mean being their best friend; it doesn’t mean hanging out with them; He doesn’t command us to be like them. Instead, He commands us to pray for them, to lift up their names in care and concern in prayer. That is the command to love your enemies. To love them is to pray for them, simple and sweet.
To Him be the power, the glory, and the kingdom forever.
So be it and let it be.
Amen.
So be it and let it be.
Amen.