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Thursday, March 3, 2011

Your Enemies


"You have heard it said...hate your enemy.'"--Matthew 5:43.  This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount.  The Sermon on the Mount, delivered by Jesus, is about righteousness and righteous living in the sight of God.  Jesus tells us to love our neighbor and our enemy. It's easy to look at this verse alone and think we should hate our enemy. But remember context!  However, Jesus tells us not only to love but He also will go on to tell us how to treat our enemies. We are to LOVE our neighbors and our enemies. And we are told how to do it.

Who are our enemies?  Our enemies are those who seek to harm us however they can.  This is where this particular passage gets really intriguing. Jesus was not what people expected Him to be on a number of levels.  How He tells us to treat our enemies exemplifies this.  Jesus says to love (agape) our enemies.  I have had my share of enemies in my life, not necessarily ones that persecute but who by their actions have shown they will do me more harm than good.

I am sure we all have people like this in our lives.  Maybe it's an employer or a co-worker that is your "enemy." Or maybe it's your neighbor??? Or it may even be someone in your own congregation!!  Our natural reaction is to retaliate against said people. But Jesus calls us to a higher standard. To agape them and to seek their good.  Did I mention that in Matthew 5:44, Jesus also tells us to PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES? Why should we? Well consider this, you and I were God's enemies once and look at the agape He showed us by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins.

My encouragement to you tonight is this. As hard as it might be, do good to your enemies.  In doing so, as it is put in Proverbs 25:21-22, you will heap burning coals on his (or her) head.  Do good to them. AGAPE THEM. Pray for them and I guarantee from experience, it will make a difference. PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!

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