TODAY'S VERSE:

Luke 6:27-28 But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

In prep school we just finished our study on Jonah. We learned that Jonah’s problems started with the fact that he HATED the Ninevites! He did not want God to save them because they were enemies of Israel, Jonah’s home- land. Jonah disobeyed God’s command to go to Ninevah because he did not love his enemies and this disobedience almost got him killed by God. God, in His grace, gave him a second chance, though, and saved him from drowning by sending in the big fish, remember?

Did you know that you are commanded to love your enemies as well? We bet you have a few questions like: Why should I love my enemies? How can I love them when I don’t like them? How do I show them love?

First, let’s talk about love. Is God commanding us to be emotional and buy candy for our enemies? No, silly, He is telling us to love our enemies the way He loves.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Romans 5:10a For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…

God sent His Son to be judged for us when we were still His enemies. He made the first move in our reconciliation, even though we were the ones who were wrong- we are sinners while He is perfect! He chose to send Jesus to be judged and die for our sins so He could reconcile (restore friendly relations) us to Himself. Now, that’s love!

So, why should you love your enemies? Well, for one, God told us to, but also:

1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us.

Once you understand that you are a sinner and how much grace and mercy God has shown you, you are filled with gratitude. This gratitude motivates you to please God and obey Him because you love Him. Since He loves you SO much, you love Him right back! We also learn to love others because He does. We learn to care about others and treat them kindly, not judging them, or putting our desires over theirs. This takes time, but God will teach you how to love like He does.

Luke 6:27:31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

Does this sound familiar? It’s often called the “Golden Rule”. How do you want people to treat you? Do you want others to be patient with you, forgive you when you mess up, be fair to you, be nice to you, and not talk bad about you? Well, then, you should treat them the same way! This is how you show love to others. And remember… we are to love EVERYONE this way- even those who are unkind to us and don’t show us love. This may sound impossible, but just remember:

Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.

And also:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

So, now what? We know what God commands and we know what it looks like, but how do we get the strength from God to do this? How do we "be" nice to people that are mean to us, to our friends, or even to our family? We ask God for help! He wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to share EVERYTHING with Him. He promises to answer our prayers. If your desire is to obey His commands and you ask Him for help- He will give it to you!

John 14:13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

While you are praying and asking for God to teach you how to love others- pray for your enemies. That’s right, like our main verse states, “pray for those who mistreat you” - it will help you have compassion for them. God promises to change your thinking when you obey Him this way. This is how you start to love your enemies! You can do it- we know you can.