Day 18 - Love Your Enemies - More of Jesus Devotional

Love your enemies.

Micah Abeloe

“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 makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus in this bit of scripture lays out for us as believers a perfect illustration of His character. Jesus explains how we should not only love those who love us but, also love those who are our enemies and pray for those who persecute us! That is a very hard perspective and or principle to comprehend when we look at it through our own eyes. As we allow the Holy Spirit to change our perspective to align with this character trait of His, we can see how God’s love for people is not contingent upon what He gets from them. He doesn’t allow how they view Him dictate His love for them. We can’t allow how people treat us dictate how we treat them. Jesus loves everyone... past, present and future and His blood atoned for all people past, present and future. There is nothing we could do or perform, and no way to earn God’s forgiveness, grace and mercy. It was bought with the precious blood of Jesus. That shows how much He loves us.

We must never allow how people love us dictate how we will love them in return. Jesus says to love others as He has loved us. (John 13:34-35). By this love the world will see that we are disciples of Jesus and that we know we are sons and

daughters of the Most High! If we are to love others like God loves us, we must allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts so deeply, that we see people how Jesus sees them, which is, “The hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

Questions:

- Do you believe in this perspective of God’s love? Do you believe that Jesus died for us to show His love even though we hadn’t earned it and didn’t deserve it?

- There are some people that are just hard to love. However, Jesus challenges us to love people even when they don’t deserve it. In what relationships can you implement this perspective of love?

- How has Jesus’ love for you, as shown for us on the Cross, changed your life?