Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.     Romans 12:14-16 HCSB

As we continue our discussion on Christian ethics and how the Bible tells us to treat others, we come upon what I consider to be something hard to do. Bless those who persecute you. There is nothing within our being that causes us to want to be good to those who persecute us. If someone is mean to us, we want to be mean right back, don’t we? Maybe it’s just me, but when someone is mean to me, I don’t get these warm, fuzzy feelings about them, just sayin’.

Jesus also told us how to deal with our enemies in Matthew 5:44 when he said we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. I try to love my enemies, but if I don’t pray for them, I find that hard to do. If I pray for my enemies or those who mistreat me, I find it easier to love them. This doesn’t mean I trust them or that I get those warm, fuzzy feelings, but it means I develop empathy for them. It means I develop compassion and I don’t want to see any harm come to them. I want to see them saved so they can be my brother or sister in Christ.

And to be totally honest, sometimes it takes a lot of praying for God to remove the bitterness and anger that is in my heart. When someone mistreats me, it often leaves me angry with them and bitter towards them. I have to pray for God to remove that while I pray for their salvation. So, I have to pray for them and me at the same time, but it works.

Prayer changes things. It can even change our hearts or how we feel about someone else.

Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. This requires empathy and compassion. We should be happy when others are happy. We should share in one another’s sorrow. We should love them as Christ loves us.

Be in agreement with one another. I’ve often heard the term, “We can agree to disagree.” I guess that’s one way to get along, but I believe what is meant here is having that communion with each other that the first church had in Acts 4:32. Acts 4:32 said that the large group of those who believed were of one heart and one mind and no one said that any of his possessions were his own, but instead they held everything in common. The first church loved the Lord with all they had, and they loved each other. They had no room in their church for petty disagreements.

When we all put Jesus first, we will have that love for one another. There will be no room for pride. We are told not to be proud, but to associate with the humble. You are who you hang around with. Any wisdom we have comes from God, if we ever start thinking we are smart, we will become stupid.

Paul said in Romans 1:22, Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. We are told in Proverbs 1:7 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Love others as you love yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, yes even your enemies. Most importantly love others as Christ loves you. Forgive as He forgives. Love as He loves. Don’t be proud. Know where any wisdom you have comes from and if you feel you don’t have enough, just ask. God gives freely (James 1:5).

Pray for your enemies and be compassionate and caring to those around you. Don’t be prideful. Proverbs 16:7 says that when a man’s ways please the LORD, he will make even his enemies be at peace with him.

Have a great day!