16. Love your enemies…
You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy”. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:43-48
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6: 27-28
Tough gig – loving your enemies, and potentially very contentious. How do we reconcile “God is love” with this command to love our enemies? If God calls on us to love our enemies, then can we also say that, ipso facto, God loves our enemies?
Enough of the deep stuff, it’s breakfast time. I can’t even consider what it all means but I do know that love is a verb, an action word and when God calls on us to “do” this thing called love to our enemies he is talking about those who hate us, persecute us, make our lives living hell. So how do we “do” love in this context?
I believe that God is calling on us to stand apart from the hatred aimed at us by our enemies. He wants us to look beyond the actions being done against us by these people to the people themselves. He wants us to see them as he does with his unconditional love. And then, as a result, of our shifting view of them, we will shift how we behave, think. We will begin to reflect God’s love for these people.
Let’s look at how this might play out. Doctors and nurses treat injured enemy patients during war. They treat the person regardless of their background. Regardless of the hatred they have inflicted.
Closer to home a friend or family member has cut you out of their life, they send you hurtful emails, they spread rumours about you behind your back – they become the enemy. You can return the volley of injurious actions with more of the same. Or you can choose to love them regardless and seek a restoration of the relationship.
Over time we have witnessed how Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Vladimir Putin, and many others have attacked, murdered, ransacked, others to gain power and land. What would it mean for us to look beyond the deeds of those whose desire for power and dominion consumes them and love each of them enough to pray earnestly for a change of heart?
And the result of loving our enemies? Paul covers this in Romans 12:20: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head”.
Many an enemy has been convicted of his actions and become a friend because of acts of kindness and love showered on them by those they have hated.
Prayer: Lord, I confess that I feel anger and animosity towards those who hurt me, vilify me, speak behind my back. And to those on the world stage whose acts of terror against humanity go unchecked. Help me to see past the actions to the men and women who you created and love. Give me a new love for them and help me to put that love into action each day in pray, in good deeds, in kindness.
Amen
Action: Today do good to those who you have regarded as your enemies, your opposers. Those who slight you, mistreat you, vilify you. Seek God for a new love for them and pray both for them and for yourself.
Journal your thoughts…