“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. ”
Manna For Today!
Over the last couple of days, I have come across several passages that remind me of the importance of loving our neighbors. While reading these verses, I realized that loving my neighbor comes naturally to me. However, what doesn't come naturally is loving my enemy. I often wonder what loving my enemy would look like.
It can be difficult to love our enemies, especially when we feel like they have wronged us in some way. It's easy to want revenge or to see them punished for their actions. However, this kind of thinking can lead us down a dangerous path. Is it considered love if we're hoping for their destruction and or punishment? The question then becomes, how do we truly love our enemies?
King David in Psalms shows us a great example of how we should show love towards our enemies. In Psalm 35, he writes the following:
Psalm 35:11-14 Easy English Bible
11 Cruel people tell lies against me in court. I do not even know what they are talking about. 12 When I do good things to help them, they pay me back with evil things! That makes me feel very sad and upset. 13 When they were ill, I wore rough clothes, and I stopped eating food. I bent down my head as I prayed for them. 14 I wept as I prayed, as I would weep when a friend or my mother had died.
King David surpasses us all. He went beyond showing kindness to friends and family by extending it to his enemies.
1. He Would Fast. Upon learning that his enemy was sick, he chose not to rejoice and throw a big party. King David changes his garments to rags and abstains from food, praying for his enemy's healing. Whoa, that's intense.
2. He sheds tears while praying for them. The verse showcases King David's heartfelt compassion and powerful love for his enemies, which was truly authentic. His weeping was akin to losing his own mother.
As we get closer to Christmas and new years, I firmly want to encourage you to fix some of your broken relationships. Love your enemies in the same way that David did. Embrace radical love for them, bless your enemy, care for them deeply, and consider fasting for a spiritual breakthrough if necessary. And in the end, those enemies will surely become your brothers and sisters in Christ!
Blessings, Pastor Val B..