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\u2019re thinking, \u201cAbsolutely! I would do anything for the ones I love.\u201d Let me ask another question. What would you be willing to do for your ENEMIES<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible tells us we are to love our enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies…”<\/p>\nMatthew 5:43,44 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It can be really hard to do this. The natural, human thing is to get them back for whatever they\u2019ve done to you or to talk badly about them to someone else. If we truly love God, we will keep His commandments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”<\/p>\nJohn 14:15 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Two of His commandments are to love your enemies (as we saw in Matthew 5:44) and to imitate Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Imitate me, just as I also imitate<\/em> Christ.”<\/p>\n1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If we imitate Christ we will love our enemies, right? With that in mind, let\u2019s look at a few things that Christ would have done for His enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) He Would Bless Them<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“…bless those who curse you…”<\/p>\nMatthew 5:44 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s some challenge they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) He Would Do Good To Them<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“…do good to those who hate you…”<\/p>\nMatthew 5:44 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It could be something as simple as saying, \u201cI hope you have a nice rest of your day!\u201d You could also do something nice for them. Have you ever heard the phrase, \u201cKill them with kindness\u201d? Shower them with good deeds and help that they may not get from anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) He Would Pray For Them<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“…and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”<\/p>\nMatthew 5:44 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019re 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\u2019s Word into their hearts and pray that they will increase in knowledge and understanding and one day, obey the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cIf you love Me, keep My commandments\u201d? 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We love Him because He first loved us.”<\/p>\n1 John 4:19 NKJV<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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