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LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU<\/strong> Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.<\/strong> When we look at the life of Jesus, we see the perfect example of someone completely loved and trusted by the Father. Scripture tells us:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0 John 3:35<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.\u201d Jesus performed countless miracles, healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, and taught with unmatched authority. John even wrote that:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n John 21:25,<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Luke 10:24<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.\u201d<\/strong> One of those kingdom mysteries\u2014simple to hear but difficult to live\u2014is the command to love our enemies.<\/p>\n Jesus said:<\/p>\n Mathew 5:44<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to <\/strong>those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.\u201d At first glance, I thought I understood this command. But as life unfolded, I realized how far I was from practicing it. When people offended me, I may have said I forgave them\u2014but I didn\u2019t pray for them. I avoided them. My forgiveness was partial and self-protective.<\/p>\n But Christ calls us to a higher standard\u2014one that mirrors the heart of the Father. It’s not enough to say, \u201cI forgive you,\u201d and then create distance. Kingdom forgiveness goes further: it involves intercession<\/strong> and love in action<\/strong>. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look to Jesus Himself. He didn\u2019t just teach this principle\u2014He lived it out even with His betrayer, Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him (John 6:64), yet He kept him close, gave him authority to preach and cast out demons (Luke 9:1-2), and even referred to him as \u201cfriend\u201d at the moment of betrayal:<\/p>\n Matthew 26 :50<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>But Jesus said to him, \u2018Friend, why have you come?\u2019\u201d Imagine that. Even in betrayal, Jesus still addressed Judas with compassion. When He washed the disciples\u2019 feet (John 13), Judas was among them. Jesus offered Judas every opportunity for repentance. That\u2019s grace. That\u2019s divine love.<\/p>\n Now ask yourself: Can you love like that?<\/strong> This is what Christ meant when He said:\u00a0<\/p>\n Matthew 5 : 48<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.\u201d<\/strong> This kind of love reflects the very nature of God:<\/p>\n Mathew 5:45<\/p>\n \u201c…<\/strong>for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.\u201d God is merciful even to the ungrateful. Paul reminds us:<\/p>\n Romans 5:8, NKJV<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.\u201d Before we were saved, we too were enemies of God (Romans 5:10). Yet He showed us mercy. How then can we deny that same mercy to others?<\/p>\n If it\u2019s a co-worker, neighbor, or fellow believer who constantly offends you\u2014don\u2019t only forgive\u2014pray for them<\/strong>. Don\u2019t retaliate or hold grudges. Paul teaches:\u00a0<\/p>\n Romans 17- 21<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men… Beloved, do not avenge yourselves… If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.\u201d This is spiritual maturity. This is Christlikeness.<\/strong><\/p>\n But let us be honest: loving enemies is impossible in our own strength. It requires the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God deeply rooted in our hearts. The fruit of the Spirit\u2014love, patience, kindness\u2014grows only in surrendered hearts (Galatians 5:22-23).<\/p>\n When we walk this way, God draws nearer. Jesus said:<\/p>\n John 14 : 21<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.\u201d Beware of teachings or “deliverance ministries” that encourage calling down Holy Ghost fire on your enemies to destroy them. This contradicts the Spirit of Christ. When James and John wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village, Jesus rebuked them:\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Luke 9: 55-56<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men\u2019s lives but to save them.\u201d Such teachings nurture bitterness and vengeance\u2014fruits of the flesh, not the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n Instead, choose the hard but holy way\u2014love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who persecute you.<\/strong> This is the narrow road that leads to the heart of God.<\/p>\n Let us pray:<\/strong> God bless you richly.<\/strong><\/p>\n Shalom.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
(A Call to Christlike Perfection)<\/em><\/p>\n
Let us take time today to meditate on the living words of God\u2014a truth that challenges our human nature but reveals the heart of our Heavenly Father.<\/p>\n\n
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But what set Jesus apart was not only His power or miracles\u2014but His heart. He revealed mysteries of the Kingdom that had been hidden for generations. As He told His disciples:\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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Can we, as born-again believers, love those who offend us? Can we intercede for those who gossip about us, manipulate us, or oppose us?<\/p>\n\n
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\nA Pastoral Warning:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Father, fill our hearts with Your love. Teach us to love not only our friends but also our enemies. Help us to overcome evil with good, to walk in mercy and truth, and to reflect the perfect love of Christ. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n