Love Your Enemies

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. (Luke 6:27-28, 31-36 NLT)

Jesus’ call to love our enemies reorients our affections (Love your enemies), our behavior (Do good to those who hate you), our attitudes (Bless those who curse you), and our spirituality (Pray for those who hurt you).

Do to others as you would like them to do to you. Reacting is doing to others as they have done to you. Initiative is doing to others as we would like to have them do to us. The way this hits me as I’m wrestling with it today is that Jesus is telling us that we can either be reactors to evil that others do to us and be controlled by them, or we can be initiators of good to them and take control of the narrative.

It’s so easy to focus our attention on offenses against ourselves, slights to our dignity, mistreatment by others, and begin looking at life from the viewpoint of a victim. We react to what others have or have not done, and before long, it seems as if we’re powerless, completely at the mercy of a world that seems to have no mercy. Bad things happen. People hurt us. We suffer indignities and abuse. Jesus doesn’t minimize that.

But loving our enemies is taking the initiative rather than being a victim. Doing good to those who hate us is turning evil to good. Blessing instead of cursing brings life instead of death. Praying for those who hurt us is hard! But God is kind to the unthankful and wicked. Can we actually pray God’s kindness and blessing on them?

Prayer:

Father, This is one of those things that requires heart change rather than just “grit my teeth” obedience! I’m willing to listen! I’m willing to respond! Please change my heart to be like your heart, to be compassionate as you are compassionate. My friends and I need a transforming work of your Spirit. In Jesus’ Name!