Scriptures: Matthew 5:44-48
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you…”
Matthew 5:44
The life of a believer is identical with love and forgiveness. We must be able to do this in our lives, because without love, everything will be in vain (1 Corinthians 13:1). Though we can do all things, love is still everything. Loving others does not mean only loving those who treat us well. But we have to love everyone, including our enemies. We must be able to help them when they need help, and repay evil with good.
One of the commandments that Jesus gave us is to love our enemies. Indeed, this is a difficult thing to do, but we must be able to do it. The word of God says that if we do not forgive others, then our Father in heaven will not forgive our sins as well. On the other hand, when we forgive others, then our sins will be forgiven. Thus, only with God’s help and the Holy Spirit, we are made able to love our enemies.
Nonetheless, it is not enough to just love our enemies. We must be able to totally forget their mistakes. Release blessing to those who are against us, don’t curse them. This is what the children of God must do. When we keep on remembering others’ mistakes, it will be very difficult for us to forgive. When forgiving, we cannot hold on to our ego. As human beings, often times we do not like it if we are humiliated. What we need to learn is exactly the opposite, humble our hearts and always be willing to forgive others.
Jesus’ life on earth is a great role model for us. When Jesus was mocked by the priests, he did not repay mocking with mocking. In fact, Jesus did not retaliate at all… Let each one of us follow the example of Jesus. In other parts of the Bible, we can also read the story of David who kept on loving Saul. Though Saul had always wanted to kill him, David never hurt Saul. Here, we can learn from David so we won’t get even with those who ill-treat us. Whatever they do to us, surrender it to God, and He will do something on our behalf. (J/DC)
However bad they treat us; learn to still love them, so God’s love can be real in our lives and our lives will shine in this dark world.
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