Are you acting according to Christ's wisdom? It is able to “suck” energy from everywhere and turn a person into an invalid. Of course, your kindness may be rejected. And, right now, Christ is interceding for your enemies. Loving those who've wounded us is not an option, but a command. The power of love is universally recognized and has been used in ancient healing traditions in cultures throughout the world. When you forgive those who have hurt you, not only do you release the hurts and offences that hurt and hinder you, but you also entrust them to God who … More than that, we should love our enemies because it is one of the trademarks of being a son or daughter of God. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. He prayed, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:60). Learn to think of them with compassion. Yet this wasn't the spirit of the law. Loving your enemy is different from liking your enemy. In my life I've found it probably the most difficult thing to do as a Christian. Scripture says if you harbor evil in your heart toward another, you're an outright hypocrite in God's eyes. Practice trusting your own inner guidance system, and you’ll notice … And the wound hurts even more deeply because he was your friend. It was the worst pain I ever endured, consuming my thoughts night and day. Courage to continue. His Holy Spirit empowers us to forgive, even when we've been deeply wounded. Put yourself in their shoes. ", These are the words of the same godly king who wept when his murderous enemy, Saul, was slain in battle. Shutterstock “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, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. (1 John 4:20). "Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them" (15:12). And if they love you, then there is something special in you, and you are bound to make it your strong side. Don't let him live out his days. For the average man that sounds ridiculous, but for a very kind, merciful and loving God, that's the way things should be. Love and hate are two opposite emotions. And God was faithful to avenge Moses, striking his sister with leprosy. Recall the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:44-45, “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 … Even when speaking from the position of hatred, in his words you can always find particles of truth. 3. In our awful hurt and depression, we cry out self-righteously against our enemies, "Lord, don't let them live another day.". And it’s not easy, … When we love our enemies, they put you on our knees more often in prayer. Here are some ways you can do it. Yes, it does. Why love your enemies ~ What else is in it for me #2 You Will be Forgiven I believe his stand on late-term abortion is an abomination in God's eyes, and it makes my blood boil. Let him bring them down and swallow them up. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35–36). They still feel justified in despising their enemies. 5 Benefits of Loving Yourself for Who You Are, Where You Came from, and Where You Can Go 1. Think about it: not a single one of your fingers moves, nor an eyelid blinks, without being directed by your brain. You see, as members of Christ's body, we're to react according to the directions given by our head, Jesus. He's saying, in short, "Suffer the wrong. Finally, one of my favorite parts of self-love is the growth. He said, "Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. God is merciful. We can hate the sins of homosexuals, abortionists and all Christ despisers. If only I'd obeyed Jesus' command to bless my persecutors by speaking good of them, this couple might have received a blessing. Jesus says he has given us all power over the enemy. He learned it's possible to hate someone's evil without hating the person. At that time, Jews loved only other Jews. You may be able to testify that you've won a great victory in Christ. Your friends will not point out your faults, but your enemies will. “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, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. 7. Yet your focus isn't to be on your own hurt, but on the deception of your enemy's soul.". But if it's accepted, you can stand on judgment day knowing your enemy wasn't judged and damned because of his sin against you.". If you strike me on the face, I’ll hit you so hard your head will fall off.” Even in the church, the vigil… Ways of arousing feelings of loving-kindness: Visualisation — Bring up a mental picture. You can sing God's praises in church, you can serve food to the homeless - but if you carry a single grudge against anyone, your love for God is in vain. ", Christ's command here is very simple: "Make the first move. To learn to love your enemies also means trying to establish interaction with them. Enemies Keep Us Balanced When we think we have achieved greatness, enemies humble us. In one instance, David's enemy was a close friend, one of God's own people. "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). What, exactly, does it mean to bless? To learn to love your enemies also means trying to establish interaction with them. And each of us has had at least one of these experiences. But this was a close, godly friend. Loving your enemies is the desire that they don’t face mere retribution but rather encounter a new way of seeing, thinking, feeling, and choosing. Don't wait - don't miss the opportunity - because your enemy's soul could slip into eternity still carrying his sin. The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. They weren't able to get in a word edgewise - and they left empty, dry, unedified. Your book would surely be a bestseller. Then, as things begin to go wrong in our lives, we won't understand them, because we'll be in disobedience. Lay it down and move on. Christ states clearly that the battle with Satan has already been won. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul" (56:5-6). Now Let's Talk About Those Enemies Within the Church. When someone strikes you on the face, you turn the other cheek. He stated, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:38-39). From the Prologue: Oftentimes we look at sin through two completely diff But, in your life, there are necessarily people who love you. Instead, they walked away downcast in spirit. All of these people made themselves Christ's enemies, railing at him maliciously. ", The awful betrayal caused David to constantly look over his shoulder. And he commands us to pray for them. Loving your enemies can bring benefits not just to you but to the people around you. Anger management is more effective when it is mastered in practice, not in theory. 4 by Hieromonk Gregorios, Elder of the Cell of St. John the Theologian, Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mount Athos. That's when it dawned on me - I'd done all the talking. He wrote: "I hate the work of them that turn aside" (Psalm 101:3). You did nothing to cause his opposition to you. How could he turn out this way?". Second Corinthians 12 shows how God kept Paul in balance. Deliberately cultivating the ability to forgive has many benefits, both for yourself, and to those around you, so let’s take a look at 8 reasons to forgive even your worst of enemies. Jesus promised, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained" (John 20:23). After all, they've done to me what the Egyptians did to Israel. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. No. They've pursued me, blind-sided me, overtaken me. I tell you, it's impossible to be truly holy without total obedience to our Lord's command to love one another. "I hate every false way" (119:104). An hour or so later, they left bewildered. 3. In the context of loving our enemies, our Lord Himself said: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, see verses 43-47). We're to try to tear down any walls that might damn them, and put forth every effort to rebuild a bridge to them. Wise people benefit from discipline, and one benefit for the enemy might be that he learns to treat others with the kindness he wants for himself. Both the yoga and Buddhist teachings provide us with meditationsdesigned to free ourselves of negative emotions that interfere with our ability to love. Press alt + / to open this menu. “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. You be the first to seek reconciliation. David ripped his clothes in grief and called upon his friends to fast and pray, crying, "A giant of Israel has fallen. 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