2/15/2024 0 Comments Pray for your enemy quotesBut that is not why Jesus asks us to love even those who do us harm. We might think that Jesus’ teaching is a part of a plan in the end, the wicked will desist. ![]() But how, Lord? If someone thinks badly of me if someone hurts me, why can I not repay him with the same currency? “No”, says Jesus. Ending the matter there, in a fair exchange, was a step forward.īut Jesus goes far beyond this: “But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil” ( Mt 5:39). If someone harms you, then you can repay him or her in the same degree you cannot do something worse. This law of retaliation was actually a sign of progress, since it prevented excessive retaliation. We know what that law meant: when someone takes something from you, you are to take the same thing from him. Jesus quotes the ancient law: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” ( Mt 5:38 Ex 21:24). in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.Free eBook: Essays in Apologetics, Vol. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman,, ,, and more. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. Help me to follow Your example in praying, doing good, giving, and sacrificing for my enemies. Also, for the promise that those who are hated for your name’s sake and stand firm in Your love will be saved in the end ( Matthew 10:22). Thank you, Father, for the comfort of knowing blessing comes through being hated, insulted, and rejected by others for Your name sake ( Luke 6:22). Like Jesus said on the cross, help me to say, too, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” ( Luke 23:34). Send Your Spirit, Father to move upon my heart and motivate me to show loving kindness towards those who hate me. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” ( Psalm 51:10). Although my heart doesn’t feel like offering forgiveness or extending love I want to follow Your leading and calling in my life to do so, and to go beyond my own feelings and emotions in this situation. “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” ( Psalm 51:2). Forgive me for any and all bad feelings and thoughts I may have had towards them. ![]() Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Yet Luke 6:35, encourages, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Being kind and generous to someone who hates us is living sacrificially, it’s risky knowing if we receive anything in return it most likely will be more rejection and disdain from them. ![]() Proverbs 25:21 urges, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”Ĥ. If they refuse or discard what we offer, we’ve have fulfilled our part. Although they may not want us to give to them, even so, our responsibility is only to give. So if void of forgiving and loving feelings, how do we love our enemies with actions? Following are four ways to begin.ģ. Genuine love bypasses emotions and chooses to pray, do good, give, and even sacrifice for those who hate us. Real love is expressed through actions, which really are louder than words. But real love goes much deeper and often isn’t a warm, fuzzy feeling. It seems the call to love our enemies is misunderstood because the secular world has reduced love down to a feeling. So, what do we do in these circumstances? How do we get past unforgiving and loveless feelings? In these situations, how do we forgive those who hate us, much less love them? Often, we say we forgive, yet we don’t feel it, and we certainly don’t feel love for them. Sadly, it sometimes comes from within our own families who hate us because of our faith in Jesus Christ ( Matthew 10:36). It’s birthed within their hearts and has to be extracted from the inside out. Most often, enemies come not by our choice, and usually, there isn’t anything we can do to change their attitude towards us. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As John 15:19 explains, it’s better to be hated by the world than loved. More concern should be if the world loves us because it’s a sign we most likely aren’t living our lives for God. ![]() Have you ever been hated? If so, you’re in good company because Jesus was perfect, yet He had those who hated Him to the extent of wanting Him dead. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” - Matthew 5:44
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