What would you be willing to do for God? What would you be willing to do for your spouse? What would you be willing to do for your family? What would you be willing to do for your friends? Think about it for just a moment. Would you give up your life for the One who created life itself? Would you give your time to do something your spouse wants to do instead of insisting on doing what you want to do? Would you give your life for your friends or family? Maybe you’re thinking, “Absolutely! I would do anything for the ones I love.” Let me ask another question. What would you be willing to do for your ENEMIES?
The Bible tells us we are to love our enemies.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies…”
Matthew 5:43,44 NKJV
It can be really hard to do this. The natural, human thing is to get them back for whatever they’ve done to you or to talk badly about them to someone else. If we truly love God, we will keep His commandments.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:15 NKJV
Two of His commandments are to love your enemies (as we saw in Matthew 5:44) and to imitate Christ.
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV
If we imitate Christ we will love our enemies, right? With that in mind, let’s look at a few things that Christ would have done for His enemies.
1) He Would Bless Them
“…bless those who curse you…”
Matthew 5:44 NKJV
Instead of talking badly about them behind their backs or even to their faces, Christ would have talked about the good things they have done in their lives. Focus on the positive and not the negative. Maybe there’s some challenge they’re going through in their life that you don’t know about. Find the good in others and praise them for it, even if they are treating you badly. You never know, they may start doing good to you as well. Be that Christian light shining in the dark world around you.
2) He Would Do Good To Them
“…do good to those who hate you…”
Matthew 5:44 NKJV
It could be something as simple as saying, “I hope you have a nice rest of your day!” You could also do something nice for them. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Kill them with kindness”? Shower them with good deeds and help that they may not get from anyone else.
3) He Would Pray For Them
“…and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”
Matthew 5:44 NKJV
Ask God to help that person with the struggles that they may be facing. Ask Him to help them see the need to follow Him and to help you show that need to them. Whether you realize it or not, if you’re a Christian, your enemies need you. They need you to show them Christ living in you. Imitate Christ. Teach through your example. Plant the seed of God’s Word into their hearts and pray that they will increase in knowledge and understanding and one day, obey the Gospel.
I know that doing these things can be hard. Maybe they will still be mean to you or even treat you worse than before. Even still, we must find the good, practice the good, and pray for good. Remember the verse, “If you love Me, keep My commandments”? Loving God means giving your life over to Him. We MUST keep His commandments in order to obtain the eternal home He has prepared for us in Heaven. Do you really love God? Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. He deserves our full obedience and love because He loved us enough, while we were sinners, to send His only Son to provide us salvation.
“We love Him because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19 NKJV
