Love for Enemies

Good Morning,

Luke 6:27-36 (NIV)
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

I know that we've discussed these verses in the past. I also know that we'll be led to them again in the future, at some point. I believe that we're led back to these verses time and time again because we all need to learn more from them, to learn more from what Jesus taught in them. I'm not sure most of us will ever reach the perfection that Jesus taught in these verses, but I do know that we need to keep on trying. You see, I believe that in the striving for the perfection of the sentiments we read about today, I believe that we will all be better people. Not perfect, perhaps, but at least much better than we are today.

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

I wish I could give a solid lesson on exactly how to go about achieving this kind of love, good, blessing, and prayer in your life...in my own life, for that matter. Would only that there would be some "method" or other which could be learned and assimilated into our lives that would result in being the kind of person who is capable of these things. I certainly haven't found one. Other than to simply read and study what Jesus has said and then just try to have Him help me in my struggles with these things. There is no "magic pill", so to speak, that will miraculously change us from being the vengeful human beings we tend to be, into the loving and caring people Jesus would have us to be.

Getting to a place in our lives where we truly can love our enemies, do good to those who wish us ill will, bless the people who would curse the fact that we're alive, and pray for those who would cause us harm, to get to this place is a lifelong process, I'm afraid. It's remembering this section of Scripture and what Jesus said. Then, baby step by baby step, putting a bit of these sentiments and attitudes into action in our everyday lives. What we have to do is start by doing small, simple things that might seem to make no difference at all for people who aren't exactly friends...or friendly. Just a word here and a small prayer there. A helping hand, maybe, at some point. A silent blessing...truly meant and felt.

Remember what Jesus says at the end of these verses, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." That, my friends, I think is the key to this whole matter. If we can actually be merciful and show mercy, then the rest can more easily fall into place.

Easy? No! Doable? Maybe. Over a life time of putting these ideas into action, bit by bit, tiny piece by tiny piece, we can achieve, or at least approach, what it is God would have us to be.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David