Love your enemies Part II

Luke 6:32-37
For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. [33] And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. [34] And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. [35] But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Jesus continues with the sermon on the mount. He is teaching how to love others. This is not an easy task but with the Lord’s help anything is possible. God gives us the strength to obey His word.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13
We are no different than the unsaved when we only love the people who love us or only do good to those that do good to us. As Christians, we need to be different. We need to show love to all people. This is a commandment from God. The book of Mark states in 12:30-31:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. [31] And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Let’s think of a few examples where we can do something loving.When was the last time you were in the grocery store and someone in line had a crying baby and more groceries than you. The loving thing to do would be to let her go in front of you.

Do we act loving while driving, I’m speaking to myself here. I have a tendency to call names to people who do not drive very carefully –cutting me off, driving on my bumper, you get the picture. The Lord has been speaking to me in this area. He created those people too. Who am I to call them names, even though they can’t hear me. God hears all. I have been trying with the Lord’s help to “clean up my act”.

What about lending? Have you ever lent someone something and never got it back? God says let them have it. If you let someone borrow something don’t expect it back, if it does come back that will just be a bonus. God says if we have this attitude the reward will be great.

Now for the clincher, the end of verse 37 says, He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Talk about conviction. Have you ever been unthankful or evil, God is kind to all of us. Can we do any less? God is our great example. We need to have unconditional love to others, just like God has towards us.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
Be loving, as opportunities arise.

Have a great day.
Donna

Love your enemies Part I

Luke 6:27-31
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, [28] Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. [29] And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. [30] Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. [31] And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

This is a continuation of our love study. How should we treat others? The Bible says to love them. Love is a strong word. I can like my enemies, maybe, but to love them – well I don’t know about that.

Let’s look at this a little closer. The Lord Jesus is speaking in these verses. Verse 27 says “I say unto you which hear” It’s our choice we can listen or not listen. He is talking to those which hear, the ones who want to understand.

Love your enemies. I admit this is hard. Once again I am not saying this is easy, but it is right. The right thing to do is never easy. Think about someone you do not like; someone who probably did something to hurt your feelings. The Bible says we need to love them. How can we show love?

We need to act in a loving manner when we are with them. It might be someone who did or said something to offend you. It may be a family member who you see often but don’t speak to. The Bible says to love them. Do good to them that hate you. Do something good, say a kind word, do a kind deed, bring them a plate of cookies, the possibilities are endless.

Holding grudges only makes it worse. I had two family members who did not speak for 18 years. Imagine, eighteen long years. This did not just affect them, but affected the rest of the family. Love is the only thing that can break the cycle from continuing. You need to take the first step.

What else should we do to our enemies? How about bless them and pray for them? Again, this is not an easy assignment. Put their name on your prayer list, ask God to soften your heart toward them. When we pray for them, the Lord starts a work in our heart.

When people treat you badly for the cause of Christ, consider it an honor and turn your cheek. Remember the Lord knows what is happening. Keep your focus on Him. Be helpful and kind in all situations.

The last verse of today’s scripture ends with the golden rule. If we make this our motto we will always treat people the correct way.

Have a great day.
Donna