“Love Your Enemies And
Pray For Those Who Persecute You”
“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, that you may be children of your
Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you
love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax
collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are
you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father
is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
We
are told to love our enemies. We are told to bless those who persecute us.
We
will encounter difficult people in our lives, and we will need to set limits
for some of those people. But we should never give in to the temptation to
undermine or hurt them in any way. That is not God’s way. Instead, we should
pray for them, show consideration, look out for their best interests, and
emphasize the positive. This might result in changing an enemy into a friend.
It’s hard to hate someone when you’re doing something
good for him.
Our Daily Bread –