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Topic: Love Your Enemies
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Thunderz7
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Member # 31
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posted
Ecc. 3:1 ¶ To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
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Found in Him
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posted
![[thumbsup2]](graemlins/thumbsup2.gif) Amen!
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Carol Swenson
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James 3:17 (NLT)
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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Eden
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As for loving our enemies, we ourselves cannot do it. But we CAN cry out to Jesus and say, "Lord, if You want me to love my enemies, YOU are going to have to do it while You are IN me, because unless YOU love my enemies through me, it ain't going to happen".
Why ... some are even having trouble LOVING Eden, let alone your ENEMIES ...
do you love me?
Eden
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Eden
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Carol Swenson wrote in her post quote:
Don't follow him unless you're ready to experience some discomfort.
Eden then wrote that the Lord is into COMFORT not into DISCOMFORT and that therefore the name of the Holy Spirit was The COMFORTER and not the DISCOMFORTER.
Carol Swenson then replied by quoting the following verses: quote:
Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 11
23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
Carol Swenson, yes, this verse is in the Bible but it is directed, not at average saved Christians, but at would-be preachers who go into dangerous areas like Borneo or the Amazon or into Islamic Saudi Arabia and places like that.
That is, your verse above is for would-be preachers into dangerous areas, but your verse SHOULD NOT be used as a "poster-child" verse to represent the life of the average saved Christian.
There are MILLIONS of saved Christians who believe that Jesus died in their place and so they will NOT perish but will have everlasting life, as a free gift.
The experience of these MILLIONS of saved Christians is the ABUNDANT LIFE and NOT the life of the would-be preacher. The verse that we Christians should hold up as the "poster-child" verse representative of what Christianity will do for a person is THE ABUNDANT LIFE HERE ON EARTH:
John 10
10 The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy: but I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Luke 18:30
Who shall [not] receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
When we as saved Christians begin to be guided by the Holy Spirit, our life begins to "work more abundantly".
So let me ask you, Carol Swenson, what was the last time that YOU ... uhhh:
were put in prison?
were whipped times without number?
faced death again and again?
received 39 lashes?
was beaten with rods?
was stoned?
was shipwrecked?
spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea?
traveled on many long journeys?
faced danger from rivers and robbers?
Carol Swenson, I personally have to admit that I can't remember the last time that those things happened to me as a saved Christian ... but perhaps you would like to share the last time all those awful things happened to you after you became a saved Christian?
Therefore the poster-child verse for the Christian life is NOT those things which only happen to preachers who go into dangerous areas, but rather the poster-child verse for the Christian life should be that after we are saved thru belief in Jesus, that we begin THE ABUNDANT LIFE:
Romans 5:10
For if, when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being now reconciled, [b]we shall be saved by His life.
His Abundant Life, thank you...
love, Eden
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Found in Him
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Amen Sis!
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Carol Swenson
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Matthew 5
43 “You have heard the law that says, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
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Thunderz7
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Member # 31
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posted
Just for some perspective =
Pslms 139:17 ¶ How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
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Carol Swenson
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Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 11
23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
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Eden
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Carol Swenson wrote quote:
If you are looking for a nice, comfortable religion that doesn't call for too many demands on your life, makes you feel better when you're down, and will reserve luxury suites for you in heaven when you die, then you probably shouldn't try to be one of Jesus' disciples.
Actually, that is the BEST time to be a disciple of Jesus, because JESUS CAN HELP if you are downcast and put the smile back on your face.
Carol Swenson continued quote:
He is demanding.
Yes, Jesus is demanding, but unlike the Law which DEMANDED things from us but DID NOT LIFT A FINGER TO HELP US, Jesus is also demanding, but Jesus HELPS US in everything we do through the Holy Spirit, so that it is JESUS IN US who tells us what we should do next. As a resultr, JESUS HIMSELF FULFILLS HIS OWN DEMANDS.
This is the meaning of Paul's writing in Romans about the woman who is married to the Law who does not lift a finger to help her, but she would like to be married instead to Jesus who will fulfill His Own Demands in her through the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 7
39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
Romans 7
2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives; but if the husband is dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband lives, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband is dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be now married to another man.
4 Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Our first husband the Law was very demanding but did not lift a finger to help us accomplish his demands.
But it did not look like the law was going to die anytime soon, and indeed, the Bible says that the Law will remain forever...
So what did God do? Since the woman's husband the law was not going to die, God instead killed the woman:
Romans 6
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Now that the woman is dead, she is no longer bound to her former husband the law, and now in death she is free to marry her new husband, Jesus who also is demanding but Who through the Holy Spirit guides every step of our life so really our new husband Jesus "fulfills His own demands" in us.
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
Our new husband expects us to be nice and honest and love our enemies and to be helpful, but thankfully we don't have to try to be those things by ourselves, but Jesus from heaven counsels my spirit by His wireless Holy Spirit, so that He Himself shows us how to be those things through His Holy Spirit. Demanding? yes. Helpful? Totally.
Carol Swenson continued: quote:
He has the crazy notion that his followers should serve others rather than themselves. He expects them to show integrity when no one is looking. And he expects them to love. Not just people who only occasionally have a bad day. But enemies. Jesus expects you to love your enemies. Don't follow him unless you're ready to experience some discomfort.
Regarding the bolded phrase, there is only one way to experience what He expects, and that IS to follow Him, by letting Him "guide our steps". And then we will experience, NOT discomfort, but comfort.
For one of His Names is the Comforter.
John 14
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you.
When we follow Christ Jesus, we will experience COMFORT, not DISCOMFORT.
love, Eden
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Carol Swenson
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WHEN YOUR WORLD TURNS AGAINST YOU
“In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God.”
Matthew 26:64
"Get up, we must go. Here comes the man who has turned against me.”
The words could have been spoken to anyone. They could have been spoken to John, to Peter, to James. They could have been spoken to Thomas, to Andrew, to Nathanael. They could have been spoken to the Roman soldiers, to the Jewish leaders. They could have been spoken to Pilate, to Herod, to Caiaphas. They could have been spoken to every person who praised him last Sunday but abandoned him tonight.
Everyone turned against Jesus that night. Everyone.
Judas did. What was your motive Judas? Why did you do it? Were you trying to call his hand? Did you want the money? Were you seeking some attention? And why, dear Judas, why did it have to be a kiss? You could have pointed. You could have just called his name. But you put your lips to his cheek and kissed. A snake kills with his mouth.
The people did. The crowd turned on Jesus. We wonder who was in the crowd. Who were the bystanders? Matthew just says they were people. Regular folks like you and me with bills to pay and kids to raise and jobs to do. Individually they never would have turned on Jesus, but collectively they wanted to kill him. Even the instantaneous healing of an amputated ear didn’t sway them. They suffered from mob blindness. They blocked each other’s vision of Jesus.
The disciples did. “All of Jesus’ followers left him and ran away.” Matthew must have written those words slowly. He was in that group. All the disciples were. Jesus told them they would scamper. They vowed they wouldn’t. But they did. When the choice came between their skin and their friend they chose to run. Oh, they stood for a while. Peter even pulled his sword, went for the neck, and got a lobe. But their courage was as fleeting as their feet. When they saw Jesus was going down, they got out.
The religious leaders did. Not surprising. Disappointing, though. They are the spiritual leaders of the nation. Men entrusted with the dispensing of goodness. Role models for the children. The pastors and Bible teachers of the community. “The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so they could kill him.” Paint that passage black with injustice. Paint the arrest green with jealousy. Paint that scene red with innocent blood.
And paint Peter in a corner. For that’s where he is. No place to go. Caught in his own mistake. Peter did exactly what he had said he wouldn’t do. He had promised fervently only hours before, “Everyone else may stumble in their faith because of you, but I will not!” I hope Peter was hungry, because he ate those words.
Everyone turned against Jesus.
Though the kiss was planted by Judas, the betrayal was committed by all. Every person took a step, but no one took a stand. As Jesus left the garden he walked alone. The world had turned against him. He was betrayed.
Betray. The word is an eighth of an inch above betroth in the dictionary, but a world from betroth in life. It’s a weapon found only in the hands of one you love. Your enemy has no such tool, for only a friend can betray. Betrayal is mutiny. It’s a violation of a trust, an inside job.
Would that it were a stranger. Would that it were a random attack. Would that you were a victim of circumstances. But you aren’t. You are a victim of a friend.
A sandpaper kiss is placed on your cheek. A promise is made with fingers crossed. You look to your friends and your friends don’t look back. You look to the system for justice—the system looks to you as a scapegoat.
You are betrayed. Bitten with a snake’s kiss.
It’s more than rejection. Rejection opens a wound, betrayal pours the salt.
It’s more than loneliness. Loneliness leaves you in the cold, betrayal closes the door.
It’s more than mockery. Mockery plunges the knife, betrayal twists it.
It’s more than an insult. An insult attacks your pride, betrayal breaks your heart.
As I search for betrayal’s synonyms, I keep seeing betrayal’s victims. That unsigned letter in yesterday’s mail, “My husband just told me he had an affair two years ago,” she wrote. “I feel so alone.” The phone call at home from the elderly woman whose drug-addicted son had taken her money. My friend in the Midwest who moved his family to take the promised job that never materialized. The single mother whose ex-husband brings his new girlfriend to her house when he comes to get the kids for the weekend. The seven-year-old girl infected with HIV. “I’m mad at my mother,” were her words.
Betrayal … when your world turns against you.
Betrayal … where there is opportunity for love, there is opportunity for hurt.
When betrayal comes, what do you do? Get out? Get angry? Get even? You have to deal with it some way. Let’s see how Jesus dealt with it.
Begin by noticing how Jesus saw Judas. Jesus answered, ‘Friend, do what you came to do.’
Of all the names I would have chosen for Judas it would not have been “friend.” What Judas did to Jesus was grossly unfair. There is no indication that Jesus ever mistreated Judas. There is no clue that Judas was ever left out or neglected. When, during the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that his betrayer sat at the table, they didn’t turn to one another and whisper, “It’s Judas. Jesus told us he would do this.”
They didn’t whisper it because Jesus never said it. He had known it. He had known what Judas would do, but he treated the betrayer as if he were faithful.
It’s even more unfair when you consider the betrayal was Judas’s idea. The religious leaders didn’t seek him, Judas sought them. “What will you pay me for giving Jesus to you?” he asked. The betrayal would have been more palatable had Judas been propositioned by the leaders, but he wasn’t. He propositioned them.
And Judas’s method … again, why did it have to be a kiss?
And why did he have to call him “Teacher”? That’s a title of respect. The incongruity of his words, deeds, and actions—I wouldn’t have called Judas “friend.”
But that is exactly what Jesus called him. Why? Jesus could see something we can’t. Let me explain.
There was once a person in our world who brought Denalyn and me a lot of stress. She would call in the middle of the night. She was demanding and ruthless. She screamed at us in public. When she wanted something she wanted it immediately and she wanted it exclusively from us.
But we never asked her to leave us alone. We never told her to bug someone else. We never tried to get even.
After all, she was only a few months old.
It was easy for us to forgive our infant daughter’s behavior because we knew she didn’t know better.
Now, there is a world of difference between an innocent child and a deliberate Judas. But there is still a point to my story and it is this: The way to handle a person’s behavior is to understand the cause of it. One way to deal with a person’s peculiarities is to try to understand why they are peculiar.
Jesus knew Judas had been seduced by a powerful foe. He was aware of the wiles of Satan’s whispers (he had just heard them himself). He knew how hard it was for Judas to do what was right.
He didn’t justify what Judas did. He didn’t minimize the deed. Nor did he release Judas from his choice. But he did look eye to eye with his betrayer and try to understand.
As long as you hate your enemy, a jail door is closed and a prisoner is taken. But when you try to understand and release your foe from your hatred, then the prisoner is released and that prisoner is you.
Perhaps you don’t like that idea. Perhaps the thought of forgiveness is unrealistic. Perhaps the idea of trying to understand the Judases in our world is simply too gracious.
My response to you then is a question. What do you suggest? Will harboring the anger solve the problem? Will getting even remove the hurt? Does hatred do any good? Again, I’m not minimizing your hurt or justifying their actions. But I am saying that justice won’t come this side of eternity. And demanding that your enemy get his or her share of pain will, in the process, be most painful to you.
May I gently but firmly remind you of something you know but may have forgotten? Life is not fair.
That’s not pessimism, it’s fact. That’s not a complaint, it’s just the way things are. I don’t like it. Neither do you. We want life to be fair. Ever since the kid down the block got a bike and we didn’t, we’ve been saying the same thing, “That’s not fair.”
But at some point someone needs to say to us, “Who ever told you life was going to be fair?”
God didn’t. He didn’t say, “If you have many kinds of troubles,” he said, “When you have many kinds of troubles.” Troubles are part of the package. Betrayals are part of our troubles. Don’t be surprised when betrayals come. Don’t look for fairness here—look instead where Jesus looked.
Jesus looked to the future. Read his words: “In the future you will see the Son of Man coming.” While going through hell, Jesus kept his eyes on heaven. While surrounded by enemies he kept his mind on his father. While abandoned on earth, he kept his heart on home. “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky.”
I took a snow skiing lesson some time back. My instructor said I had potential but poor perspective. He said I looked at my skis too much. I told him I had to. They kept going where I didn’t want them to go. “Does it help?” he asked.
“I guess not,” I confessed, “I still fall a lot.”
He gestured toward the splendid mountains on the horizon. “Try looking out there as you ski. Keep your eyes on the mountains and you’ll keep your balance.” He was right. It worked.
The best way to keep your balance is to keep your focus on another horizon. That’s what Jesus did.
“My kingdom does not belong to this world,” Jesus told Pilate. “My kingdom is from another place.”
When we lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I learned what it was like to long for home. We loved Brazil. The people were wonderful and the culture warm—but still it wasn’t home.
My office was in downtown Rio, only a few blocks from the American embassy. Occasionally I would take my lunch to the embassy and eat. It was like going home for a few minutes. I would walk in the big door and greet the guards in English. I would go into the lobby and pick up an American newspaper. I’d check the box scores or the football standings. I’d chuckle at the cartoons. I even read the want ads. It felt good to think about home.
I would stroll down one of the large corridors and see the portraits of Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington. Occasionally a worker would have time to chat and I’d get caught up on things back in the States.
The embassy was a bit of the homeland in a foreign country. Life in a distant land is made easier if you can make an occasional visit to home.
Jesus took a long look into the homeland. Long enough to count his friends. “I could ask my Father and he would give me twelve armies of angels.” And seeing them up there gave him strength down here.
By the way, his friends are your friends. The Father’s loyalty to Jesus is the Father’s loyalty to you. When you feel betrayed, remember that. When you see the torches and feel the betrayer’s kiss, remember his words: “I will never leave you; I will never forget you.”
When all of earth turns against you all of heaven turns toward you. To keep your balance in a crooked world, look at the mountains. Think of home.
(Max Lucado, And The Angels Were Silent )
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Keeper
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Awright Awready....I didn't mean it when I said I hated you. Can't you take a joke? Or was it Betty I hated ? Well, that was a joke too.
I think I understand "Love your enemies" until you find yourself on a battlefield and that enemy is shooting at you to kill you. I guess to kill them is to show your love for them and get them out of their misery.
Should I have said that ?
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Found in Him
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Hooo weeee! that's laying it out there Straight Carol! Excellent post!
... then you probably shouldn't try to be one of Jesus' disciples. He is demanding. He has the crazy notion that his followers should serve others rather than themselves. He expects them to show integrity when no one is looking. And he expects them to love. Not just people who only occasionally have a bad day. But enemies. Jesus expects you to love your enemies. Don't follow him unless you're ready to experience some discomfort.
I love it!!! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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MentorsRiddle
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This was a great post...
But I gotta be honest, I almost lost it when I read quote:
Loving your wife is a no-brainer unless you're self-destructive
I laughed pretty hard on that part ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
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Carol Swenson
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 Love Your Enemies
Luke 6:27-36
[27] "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. [29] If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. [30] Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. [31] Do to others as you would have them do to you.
[32] "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. [33] And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. [34] And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. [35] But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. [36] Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
________________________________________
If you are looking for a nice, comfortable religion that doesn't call for too many demands on your life, makes you feel better when you're down, and will reserve luxury suites for you in heaven when you die, then you probably shouldn't try to be one of Jesus' disciples. He is demanding. He has the crazy notion that his followers should serve others rather than themselves. He expects them to show integrity when no one is looking. And he expects them to love. Not just people who only occasionally have a bad day. But enemies. Jesus expects you to love your enemies. Don't follow him unless you're ready to experience some discomfort.
The Blessings and Woes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Plain are radical. The poor, not the rich, will be rewarded. Then Jesus says to be happy when you are persecuted. "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets." (6:23). Now he goes a step further. We are to love our persecutors.
Love Your Enemies (6:27-28)
The world says -- rightly -- "Love your friends. Be loyal to your friends. Look out for your friends." Why? Friends will look out for you. Loving your friends is just smart. This also goes to loving your wife or your husband. As the Apostle Paul observes, "Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself" (Ephesians 5:28). Loving your wife is a no-brainer unless you're self-destructive. Loving your friends and your spouse is just enlightened self-interest.
But it's altogether another thing to love an enemy, someone who has your disgrace or destruction as a goal. Notice as Jesus teaches his disciples in this passage he uses the familiar rhythm of Hebrew parallelism.
"Love your enemies,
Do good to them who hate you."
Jesus uses some heavy words to describe the Christian-haters:
• Greek echthros means "the (personal) enemy"[1] from echtho, "to hate." Ethros means "hateful," and as a noun, "adversary, enemy, foe."
• Greek miseo means "hate, persecute in hatred, detest, abhor."[2] These are people with an active desire for our hurt. Miseo is particularly used as "to persecute." There is a malicious attitude. These are people you can't turn your back on.
• Greek kataraomai means "to curse." Curses are utterances that are designed to bring harm by supernatural operation.[3]
• Greek epereazo means "threaten, mistreat, abuse."[4]
But Jesus says that we are not to just force a smile and mind our own business when we are hated and mistreated. We are to actively try to do good towards our attackers. Agapao is a rare word in Koiné Greek. It was developed almost exclusively in Christian literature to refer to the kind of love that doesn't serve itself, but extends itself for the sake of another. The other Greek words for love are eros, erotic love, philos, love for family, brotherly love, and stergos, natural affection. Agape love is really a different category of love that the world hadn't seen in action until Jesus came along and infected his followers with it.
Jesus uses four very strong action words in these verses:
• Greek agapao -- love your enemies
• Greek poimeo kalos -- do good to those who hate you.
• Greek eulogoeo -- to speak well of
• Greek proseuchomai -- to pray for, to intercede for.
None are in the passive voice. They don't just take care of themselves. They are active verbs describing deliberate action to do good to one's enemies.
Personal Enemies
Let's pause for a moment. Who are your enemies? I'm not asking who you hate? I'm asking who hates you, or despises you? Often they are the people close to us who have been hurt. A spouse or former spouse. A parent. A son or daughter. A co-worker at the job. An enemy of God who takes it out on you. Someone whose evil action you have exposed and is now out to get you. Who are your enemies?
Now what can you actively do to seek their good? That is the way Jesus is training his disciples to think.
How do I love my enemy? you ask with all seriousness. This isn't a matter of just thinking nice thoughts. We need Jesus to do a heart change within us, to put the kind of heart within us toward our enemies that was in God who sent Jesus to redeem and forgive a world full of despicable people. God-haters, vulgar, foul-mouthed, unfaithful to spouses, lying, cheating, stealing, selfish. The list goes on, and on, and describes us at our worst. Somehow God loves the people of Israel who thumb their noses at him again and again. He doesn't quit. They are unfaithful and are punished, but then God is at it again seeking to bless them. He doesn't give up. He has a heart of love toward the loveless. That is what we need to love our own enemies. We have plenty of strong examples from our God to follow.
So how do you do it? I don't think we wait for emotions of love. Rather we start with actions of love, and emotions may follow later. We start doing what Jesus taught right here:
• Do good. When you find a way you can do something good for one of your worst enemies, do it. Not to shame him, but because you are trying to find it in your own evil heart to love him for Jesus' sake.
• Bless. When you think of the person who is slandering you, and saying untrue and nasty things about you, find ways to work blessing into your thoughts. Speak a blessing out loud. When you are with friends, instead of complaining about your unjust treatment, go out of your way (actively) to speak well of your enemies. Why? To shame them? No -- though it will. But to find it in your own heart to love them.
• Pray. Intercede. When you're praying, you probably pray for your family and your pastor, and your friends and family. Why don't you begin to pray and intercede for your enemies. Actively. Start to ask God to help them. Ask God to heal the hurts in their lives that are some of the motivators of their evil actions. Ask God to bless them and show mercy to them. Why? To shame them? No, in order to find it in your heart to love them.
And if you'll do good when you find opportunities, and bless when you think of them, and pray and intercede earnestly before the Lord, you'll find that God will begin to put love in your heart toward your enemies. Actual love. Sometimes loving emotions, too.
You see, Jesus is out to create an army of disciples that look at enemies as he and his Father look at them. As people to love and care for. People to provide rain for. People to die for. Jesus is out to change you and me. And obeying Jesus' commands in these verses, along with the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, will accomplish just that.
http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/6_27-36.htm
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