Matthew 5:43-48
“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. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I think it's fair to say that loving a friend is pretty easy. Sure, sometimes it can be hard when they do wrong against you, but most of the time, it's pretty easy to love them. From a worldly standpoint, I'm doing pretty well. I love my family. I love my friends. I love new people I meet. I love my church. I don't think I need to love my enemies, right?
We get mixed up and confused by our culture way too easily. Culture is all about doing what's best for yourself and that's good enough. This way of thinking is contradictory to what the Bible says.
HUMILITY. Loving others takes humility... especially loving your enemies.
Why do we love in the first place?
We did not deserve God's love, but he gave it to us. We simply can't turn around and not share that love because someone "doesn't deserve it." We're no more "deserving" of God's love than they are. It's like the Parable of the Two Debtors. One man owed 10,000 talents and received forgiveness of his debt from the king. The same man went to someone who owed him 100 talents and showed him no mercy.
We get mixed up and confused by our culture way too easily. Culture is all about doing what's best for yourself and that's good enough. This way of thinking is contradictory to what the Bible says.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.
Why do we love in the first place?
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
We did not deserve God's love, but he gave it to us. We simply can't turn around and not share that love because someone "doesn't deserve it." We're no more "deserving" of God's love than they are. It's like the Parable of the Two Debtors. One man owed 10,000 talents and received forgiveness of his debt from the king. The same man went to someone who owed him 100 talents and showed him no mercy.
God granted us mercy, much like the King in the parable. But most of the time we are like the man who was forgiven, but yet turns around and doesn't forgive others. We have been loved, but don't want to love others. We are so selfish. God loved us so much that he sent his only Son to die the worst death, and I can't even love the person who "stole" my harmony on a certain song! (How pathetic, right?)
I hope this challenged your thinking. You are loved, but do you desire to love others? You've been forgiven, but are you willing to forgive others even if they're your enemy?
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