Love Your Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

(Matthew 5:43-45)

For me, this is quite possibly, the hardest of all of Jesus’ commands to follow. How do I love my enemies? After all, they are an enemy for a reason. They’ve done something either physically or emotionally to hurt me. Am I supposed to pray they succeed in hurting me even more or prosper in their evil endeavors? Why would Jesus command me to love and pray for them?

I have been hurt very deeply in the past and I’m sure I’ve done the same to others. Before I was saved, I once worked for a man who, for whatever reason, thought it was his job to criticize and belittle me on a daily basis. He would take my work and put his name on it and turn it in to his boss as if he had done it himself. I certainly looked upon him as my enemy at the time. I’m not sure I wouldn’t feel the same today, if I were in similar circumstances.

Today, we live in perilous times. Terrorism is running rampant around the world. Innocent people are dying every day. We also live in a world of polar opposite political views. Conservative and progressive people are total enemies and really hate each other. It’s very easy to hate those who would persecute or even kill anyone who doesn’t believe the way they do. Does Jesus really expect me to love someone who I think would destroy my way of life or possibly kill me? Does he want me to pray they accomplish their goals?

God has set us apart and saved us by grace. Yes, I’m supposed to love my enemies. Yes, I’m supposed to pray for them, not that they prosper, but that they repent of their evil ways and turn to Jesus. My purpose in life is to draw others to Jesus. I can’t do that for an enemy or persecutor if I act just like they do. Even though it’s extremely hard, I try to follow Jesus example. He loved and prayed even for us when we were still his enemies and he commands we do the same.

Father God, you are the master and creator of the universe. You have given us a very difficult command to follow. Lord, there is nothing harder for us than to be told to love someone who, by all human standards, we are justified to hate. Someone who probably hates us and wants to do us either physical or emotional harm. Help us to remember you have always loved us even when we were your enemies. You inspired other believers in our lives to pray for us even when we were persecuting your Church. If we behave just like our enemies, how can we claim to be your sons and daughters? If we claim they are just sinners and you don’t love them, why do you let it rain on our heads like you do theirs? Of course, you don’t want us to pray they succeed in an evil plan. You want us to show them your love, so they will repent of their evil and turn to Jesus. It’s in his wonderful name, we pray. Amen!