- Joined
- Oct 26, 2007
- Messages
- 11,642
"But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Luke 6:35 NKJV
Love your enemies. Is this the hardest thing Jesus told us to do? Maybe. But this command distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. No other god or religious leader ever took on the reality of what it means to save sinful people by being “kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” And make no mistake—that’s us. We all fall short of God’s standard, but even when we were His enemies, He sent His Son to die for us.
We may have people who don’t like us, who attack us on social media, and our temptation is to respond in kind. But like Jesus, we only have one enemy, who hates us as deeply as God loves us. With Jesus at our side, we can stand against the devil.
The reward? A life without regrets, full of purpose, fueled by being forgiven and forgiving others. In other words, we become like Jesus Himself. But to do so, we need to walk His path of suffering, and that means loving the way He loves and loving who He loves. That’s all of us too.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You love the unlovable, including me. Guide me by Your Spirit to love like You do. It’s the only hope for improving the world.
Love your enemies. Is this the hardest thing Jesus told us to do? Maybe. But this command distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. No other god or religious leader ever took on the reality of what it means to save sinful people by being “kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” And make no mistake—that’s us. We all fall short of God’s standard, but even when we were His enemies, He sent His Son to die for us.
We may have people who don’t like us, who attack us on social media, and our temptation is to respond in kind. But like Jesus, we only have one enemy, who hates us as deeply as God loves us. With Jesus at our side, we can stand against the devil.
The reward? A life without regrets, full of purpose, fueled by being forgiven and forgiving others. In other words, we become like Jesus Himself. But to do so, we need to walk His path of suffering, and that means loving the way He loves and loving who He loves. That’s all of us too.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You love the unlovable, including me. Guide me by Your Spirit to love like You do. It’s the only hope for improving the world.
