Key scripture – You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48).

Do you love your enemies? Do you pray that God will bless them?

The key scripture today, which is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, is not comfortable reading to all of us who have been hurt by someone, but it expresses the heart of the Lord Jesus’ way of life and what He wants us to do in our lives.

When you are with gentle, generous, loving, kind people, it is easy to be good-hearted, loving, and warm towards them. There is nothing supernatural or godly about that because it it easy to be good to people who are good to you. But Jesus is reminding you today that people will immediately sit up and take notice of a person who loves their enemies, and instead of speaking bad about them, prays for those who mistreat them.

There is no way that you can live that way in your own strength. You can’t love your enemies and forgive them in your own strength, and that is why it is so important for you to maintain a close relationship with the Lord, because you can only do it in His strength. His life will flow through you when you stay close to Him, and the joy of the Lord will be your strength.

Starting today, when you are praying, bring your enemies before the Lord and ask Him to remove the root of bitterness and anger that you have toward them, and then ask Him to bless them, their family, their job, their health, their finances, and pray for their salvation. Yes, you heard me right. No matter what they did to you, ask God to bless them, their family, their job, their finances, their health, and pray for their salvation. Keep doing that and you will be absolutely amazed at what the Lord does in you and through you.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, I want to love my enemies and bless them with my words and my actions. I ask You to remove the root of bitterness, hurt and anger that I have in my heart toward __________. Starting today, I am praying for You to bless them, their family, home, job, health, and finances. Father, open their heart so that they realize how much they need Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Father, I will love them like You loved us when we were still Your enemy, and You gave Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. What an awe inspiring love that You showed us. I will not take revenge no matter what people do to me, on the contrary, I will do what You instruct us to do: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:20). Like Jesus, I will “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20). In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

 Laura Ingle