Love Ye Your Enemies

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:35-36

Love is a word that oftentimes is misused… Paul defined love in His first epistle to the church of Corinth; it is in the 13^th chapter that we find these words recorded, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” When we utter the word love to a close friend or relative it should be without conditions; we should be speaking to one whom we desire the very best for and will in no way change our desires or motives to serve… Love is a word that can be spoken very easy but carries a high standard which is very hard to live up to… Here in the gospel of Luke we are exposed to some of the challenges that face a Christian along their journey of growing and maturing in the will of God... 

Oftentimes we talk about how much we love and adore God, but Luke informs us today that we must demonstrate our Love toward God and the love that lives within us by extending a loving hand (not only to our family and friends) but to our enemies and adversaries as well… How hard is it for you to love someone who doesn’t love you back, or to give something to someone who will not repay your efforts? As hard as these two tasks may seem to be, these are two of the main objectives that a true Christian is to live by… Jesus healed many throughout His life that didn’t’ deserve His blessings; He died on the cross to save our souls and I know (speaking for myself) that I was not worthy of that sacrifice nor can I ever repay Jesus for what He has done… The Bible says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…” Jesus wasn’t expecting anything in return; He isn’t waiting in heaven for Judgment Day to hold His hand out seeking payment for His services… He died because of the Love for His father and us, He died to fulfill the will of God and provide a chance for Salvation to all mankind and we are reminded that as we journey through this life we must take on the mindset of Christ and love all people regardless of what we receive in return.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!