Love Your Enemies

Good Afternoon,

Accept my apologies for this being so late. Just life happening.

Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV)
"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 sons 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."

Here we have what is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult things...if not THE most difficult things...that Jesus told us we should do. I know what He said here and I fully understand the concept. I'm aware that Jesus would have me to love those who persecute me and those who are my enemies. I DO know all of that. But, well, I have to admit that, like most other people, I fall far short of loving my enemies and those who persecute me.

How about you?

To carry this out as Jesus has told us, we need a great deal of help. I think that on our own, in our own human strengths (weaknesses, really) we simply can't get this done. So, the only way that we can even begin to obey what we read today is with the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives showing us, guiding us, and helping us to be obedient.

I'm not sure why this particular verse is being sent along today or for whom it might be meant. That's not my job. My job is to obey what I hear and send along what I'm told.

One thing that I do know and was reminded of as I thought about these words today. That would be the fact that when we hold onto hate, or even strong dislike, we only empower those to whom those feelings are aimed. When we DON'T obey what Jesus said, then we hurt ourselves. Believe me, our enemies, those who persecute us, are not affected at all by the emotions we harbor inside...unless the emotion is of love. THAT can, and often does, affect the people that we would call enemies.

I guess this is one of those things that we all have to think about and pray about. I can't do it without God helping me to do it. So, let's all pray for ourselves and one another in this. Through our petitions to God for the help of the Holy Spirit...and no other way that I can think of...we can overcome the feelings of hate and replace them with love and prayers.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David