Daily Devotion

“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise in the evil and good, and sends His rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43-45)

Jesus taught us to love one another and took it to a new level in loving even our enemies, and not only loving them, but doing good to them. Only God can help us to love this way. With so much divisiveness, hated, and strive in our country, especially between the major political parties, it is very important that we as believers show God’s love to all.

Verse 44 is the blueprint of how we should treat our enemies: love them, bless them, do good to them, and pray for them. The following verse reminds that God sends sunshine and rain on all people good and bad, just unjust.

• – If it sounds hard, it really is. We love those love love us, and that is easy, but to love an enemy who doesn’t like us or our Savior or our faith is impossible without the help of the Lord. God’s love is supernatural. God loves every person and so should we.

Love your enemies

• – It gets even harder, when someone is cursing you, insulting you, putting you down, or blaming you. Our natural tendency is lash out and fight back verbally, even physically at times. When we respond with kindness, love, and soft words it diffuses the situation. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Bless those who curse you

• – Not only are we to not return evil for evil, but we are to return good for evil. Paul wrote, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Therefore ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’” (Romans 12:17; Romans 12:20). It is one thing not to return evil for evil, but to go further and do them good, why that is remarkable and miraculous!

Do good to those who hate you

• – The word spiteful is a nasty word and so his persecution in any form. It is hard to lash out against others when you are praying for them. Jesus said on the cross in Luke 23:34, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Stephen, the first martyr, said as he was being stoned to death, “…Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60b).