In Matthew 5, Jesus told his followers to “Love your enemies.” Most of us would agree that saying this three word phrase is a lot easier than doing it. In fact, this may be one of the hardest commands Jesus ever gave. Even when we read it in the Bible, it’s extremely difficult to believe Jesus meant what He said. The dictionary says an enemy is a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. In light of that definition, do you have an enemy? Do you have a person who is opposed or hostile to you? If you’ve got someone who fits that description, loving them may not be at the top of your to do list.

Scriptures
Matthew 5:43-44; Matthew 10:35-36; Jeremiah 29:4-7; Luke 6:27; Luke 6:28; Luke 6:35; Proverbs 18:21; Romans 12:14; Romans 12:17; Genesis 50:20

Verse
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies.
Pray for those who treat you badly.” Matthew 5:43-44

Thought
The world says, “Get even,” God says, “Seek the good of those who have harmed you.” The world says, “Get angry.” God says, “Pray for them.” The world says, “Don’t waste time loving bad people.” God says, “Love them anyway.” Every time we are faced with people who are our enemies, we have two options: 1) We can choose to hate them and go against God’s teaching which ultimately will shut us out of God’s blessings in our lives. 2) We can do it God’s way with love and pray for God’s blessings in their lives and thus open the door for God to bless our lives as well.

Questions
Who are the enemies in your life? Which is harder for you—to speak to your enemies or to pray for your enemies? What kind of consequences will we face if we refuse to love our enemies? Name someone you know who is a good role model of showing love to difficult people. What steps do you need to take to love your enemies? How could your enemy be a gift from God to you? When was the last time you did something good to an enemy?

Response
Starting right now, ask your heavenly Father to help you be obedient to Him and His command to love your enemies. Ask Him for His grace and power to help you: 1) Greet them, 2) Disarm them, 3) Do good to them, 4) Refuse to speak evil of them, 5) Thank God for them, 6) Pray for them and 7) Ask God to bless them. Be diligent to “use” these seven tactics in your battle to overcome all obstacles in order that you might learn to love your enemies.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, some of us desperately need to be reminded to love our enemies. We live in such a broken world with animosity and hatred everywhere we go. Please give us the grace we need to love our enemies. We’ll never be able to do this without you. We say in the words of an ancient prayer, “Where there is hatred, let us sow love.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.