Daily Devotional

-February 8, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Love Your Enemies-

“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise in the evil and good, and sends His rain on the just and on the unjust.”

(Matthew 5:43-45).

Jesus taught us to love one another and took it to a new level in loving even our enemies, and not only loving them, but doing good to them. Only God can help us to love this way. With so much divisiveness, hated, and strive in our country, especially between the major political parties, it is very important that we as believers show God’s love to all.

Verse 44 is the blueprint of how we should treat our enemies: love them, bless them, do good to them, and pray for them. The following verse reminds that God sends sunshine and rain on all people good and bad, just unjust.

• Love your enemies – If it sounds hard, it really is. We love those love love us, and that is easy, but to love an enemy who doesn’t like us or our Savior or our faith is impossible without the help of the Lord. God’s love is supernatural. God loves every person and so should we.

• Bless those who curse you – It gets even harder, when someone is cursing you, insulting you, putting you down, or blaming you. Our natural tendency is lash out and fight back verbally, even physically at times. When we respond with kindness, love, and soft words it diffuses the situation. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

• Do good to those who hate you – Not only are we to not return evil for evil, but we are to return good for evil. Paul wrote, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Therefore ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’” (Romans 12:17; Romans 12:20). It is one thing not to return evil for evil, but to go further and do them good, why that is remarkable and miraculous!

• Pray for them who spitefully use and persecute you – The word spiteful is a nasty word and so his persecution in any form. It is hard to lash out against others when you are praying for them. Jesus said on the cross in Luke 23:34, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Stephen, the first martyr, said as he was being stoned to death, “…Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60b).

May the Lord help us to love our enemies as well as our brethren, our family, and our friends. Let us bless our foes, do them good, and pray for them. Jesus, the apostles, the saints that have gone before us have set the best example for us to follow.

Have a blessed day loving your enemies. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean