# 15. 2017 Dev. Mt. 5: 43-44a. Love your Enemies! Read verses 43-48. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Matthew 5:43-44a
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
The devotional for this week is much like what Jesus told us two weeks ago (The Eye and Tooth). It is not what people want to hear. Jesus is radical in that way; his expectations are the opposite of what the world dictates. Jesus gives us the example of God’s Grace and Gifts of His creation given equally to the righteous and unrighteous. God’s love by the power of the Holy Spirit holds this world together for every human being.
It is no wonder that Jesus says love your neighbors. Loving a neighbor is more than loving a friend or our spouse. It is not the same kind of love but love as we see what the Good Samaritan shows to a stranger; showing compassion and mercy to a needy person, it is, more than likely, what followers of Jesus would do and are doing now.
But Jesus is asking for more, much more! Love those who are not your friends and not of your family. Love those who appose you because you follow Jesus. Love those who persecute you, love your enemies! Really? How do we love those? It is not the kind of love we have for a neighbor but it is a love that seeks good for those who appose us and seeks good for all people. Jesus tells to do so by praying for them. Praying for their well being, praying for them to see and understand God’s love and praying for their conversion.
When you pray for a person it is hard to hold a grudge or to hold onto hate, it may even move us to forgive. That is the goal here, to bring peace and harmony and thereby proving ourselves to “be children of your father in heaven”. Let’s pray this prayer as well: Jesus, empower us to be perfect as our “heavenly Father is perfect”. Amen?
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