You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.     Matthew 5:43-45 HCSB

We are talking this week about some of the most difficult things we are called to do as a Christian. One of the things that was hardest for me to do when I began my walk with Christ was loving my enemy. I want you to understand that when Jesus said we are to love our enemies, He never said we had to trust people who hurt us. He never said we have to spend time with people who mistreated us.

He did, however, say we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. I struggled with this when I first rededicated my life to the Lord. Let me start by saying when you are trying your best to live for the Lord, you are upsetting the devil. The devil will send people into your life that will unnerve you to no end. He will send people that will do their best to bring out the worst in you.

You can’t control what other people say about you or what they do, but you can control how you respond. The first thing I had to learn was to love my enemy. What does this mean? Does it mean we bake them cookies and take them to lunch a couple times a week? No, it means we love them as Christ loves us. We love them unconditionally.

If Christ didn’t love us unconditionally, we would be in a world of trouble. If Christ didn’t die and shed his blood to save us from our sins our lives would be hopeless. If Christ didn’t forgive us, we would be doomed to hell.

We are required to love like that. When we sin, we are Christ’s enemy (James 4:4). But He still loves us. Our sin may separate us from God so that He cannot hear us (Isaiah 59:2), but He still loves us. In the same way, he expects us to forgive those who have hurt us. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.”

I have committed many sins I want God to forgive and even though I try not to, I still do. This is why I do my best to love my enemies. The best way to do this is to pray for God’s help with this. Then we need to pray for them. This is why He tells us to pray for those who persecute us. I once had a good friend tell me how she had forgiven the woman who had helped to destroy her marriage. I asked her how she was able to do this. She told me, she simply prayed for her. She prayed for her salvation. And she told me it’s hard to stay mad at someone when you pray for them.

Prayer changes things. It can even change your heart as you pray for someone who has persecuted you. Remember vengeance is God’s job. It’s not for us to do. It’s for Him to handle.

For the last 15 years I have been striving to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me. I struggle at times, but I know vengeance is not up to me. They don’t have to answer to me for hurting me, they have to answer to my Father in heaven.

If you are going to be a Christian, you are going to have to forgive others. You are going to have to love your enemies and even pray for them.

I promise the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Why not start today?

Have a great day!