Love your Enemies

Thought for today:  It’s easy to love those that love you.  Our goal in life should be to love the ones that hate us that persecute us that speak lies about us.  Not only that, but we should seek to love those that love us with an even deeper, unselfish kind of love. The bible teaches us that true love will even cover a multitude of sins.  In other words, if God sees us truly loving people, he will forgive us for all our other sins. 

1 Peter 4:8 

 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

 Jesus Christ showed us by example how we should love.  When it came time for him to know he was facing death on the cross and he went into the garden of Gethsamane to pray.  He prayed so hard that his sweat became as great drops of blood and he ask the Father to take that cup from him.  He knew the pain that awaited him on that cross.  He knew he was going to be beaten, ridiculed and spit upon.  He knew that the pain he would feel would be excruciating, but he pushed past all that and loved us anyway.   He knew all this and still prayed, not my will but thy will be done. 

Luke 22:41-44

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus showed us by example that the greatest love we can give is not loving someone that is close to us.  That great love, that beyond understanding love is when we can love when we don’t want to, love when it hurts us, love where there is no love.  When we can master the flesh and put it under subjection to our will and love those that hate us and persecute us.  That is the kind of love Christ expects from us.  If you want to please God, begin to love your enemies, pray for those that hate you and persecute you.  I have heard many say, pray for your enemies and heap coals of fire upon their heads and yes, the bible does say this but what Paul is trying to teach us is that it is our job to love and it’s God’s job to avenge.  The reference to heaping coals of fire upon their heads is actually a good thing.  When the children of Israel were repentant of their sins, they would carry coals or ashes above their heads and go about repenting of their sins.  we often read of them covering themselves in ashes.  So, when we are praying for our enemies and heaping coals of fire upon their heads, it's a good thing, we are praying for them to repent and turn back to God!!  If we love the way Christ expects us to love, we will win souls and many of those we thought were our enemies will be saved. 

Roman 12:18-21

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Set a goal for yourself today.  Begin to love someone that you feel you can never love.  Begin to pray for that person with a pure heart.  You may never see a change in that person, but I guarantee you that you will see a change in yourself.  A change for the better. 

Kathy Wellman

Reference:  King James Bible