Love Your Enemies

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 sons 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. 
— Matthew 5:43–45


Jesus’ command to love our enemies may be one of His most radical and challenging teachings. It confronts our natural instincts for self-protection, retaliation, and exclusion. In the fractured climate of our world, “enemies” may not be those who physically threaten us, but those whose beliefs, values, or actions stand in sharp opposition to ours. To love them is to will their good, to treat them with dignity, and—perhaps most challenging—to pray for them. Prayer for our enemies shifts our focus from resentment to compassion, reminding us that they too are made in God’s image and are recipients of His common grace.

Loving our enemies is the high calling of those who follow Christ. It is love at its most divine—love that gives expecting nothing in return. This kind of love cannot be manufactured through willpower; it flows from a heart continually renewed by God’s Spirit. To love those who oppose us is to participate in the redemptive work of God, who loves even the ungrateful and the undeserving. When we love this way, we reveal the Father’s heart to a world that desperately needs to see what grace looks like in human form.

Who comes to mind when you think of someone difficult for you to love, and what would it look like to pray sincerely for their well-being? How does Jesus’ command to love your enemies challenge the way you respond to disagreement, criticism, or injustice? What practices help you remain open to God’s transforming love when anger or fear tempt you to close your heart?

Today, commit to praying for that person by name, asking God to bless them, guide them, and draw them closer to Himself. In doing so, you step into the likeness of your Father in heaven.


Father in heaven, 

Teach me to love as You love. Help me to see even my enemies through Your eyes, and to pray for them with sincerity. Remove bitterness from my heart, and let my actions reflect the kindness and mercy You show to all. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

-

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