Selfless and Sacrificial Love (6)

“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.” Matt 5:43-45 (NIV)

Loving the lovable is not much of a challenge. But, to love those who are difficult to love requires a new perspective and a new enabling. God not only wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but to also love our enemies. Some people are hard to love.

Jesus brings a new dimension to the concept of love in His Sermon on the Mount. Not only are we to love our enemies, but we are to pray for those who persecute us. Showing love to those who have wounded us is only possible by the enabling of the Lord Jesus.

• “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23 (NIV)
• “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2 Tim 1:12 (NIV)

Jesus is our pattern for loving our enemies.

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor