Loving Your Enemies
By Laurie Beaulieu | June 1, 2018
Luke 6:27-36
27“But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you, 28 bless and show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 Whoever strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one also [simply ignore insignificant insults or losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity]. Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. Whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32 If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend [money] to those from whom you expect to receive [it back], what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to receive back the same amount. 35 But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.
My mom use to say a couple things that stuck out to me when I was growing up. “Walk a mile in another man’s shoes before you form an opinion of him.”, and “Treat someone like you want to be treated.”
God puts the knowledge of right and wrong in our hearts so even if she didn’t know that came from the bible, she knew it was the right thing and so do we. It’s easy to recognize it as a Godly principle when we want the right treatment from other folks, but sometimes we have to get still and “Get the witness” in our spirits when we are confronted with someone we adamantly believe is wrong or that is treating us terrible, in order to walk in love toward them. With this day and age when people strike out so easily at “The other side” and call them deplorable names and even result to violence, we need to get still and remember God’s love toward us to know how to treat the one that may go against everything you stand for, which really should be what God stands for so if anyone should be offended and strike back it would be Him and yet He says: “While we were yet sinners He loved us and died for us”, ” “Love your enemies, pray for those that spitefully use you.” “Love is not offended.” “Be merciful, compassionate, tender, just as your Father in heaven is merciful towards you.”
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