Walk the Walk…
“However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them. For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil. What reward do you deserve if you only love the loveable? Don’t even the tax collectors do that? How are you any different from others if you limit your kindness only to your friends? Don’t even the ungodly [Or, “people who worship other gods.” What distinguishes a follower of Christ is how we love everyone, including our enemies] do that? Since you are children of a perfect Father in heaven, become perfect [The Greek and Aramaic words for “perfect” can also mean “whole, complete, fully mature, lacking nothing, all-inclusive, well rounded, and spiritually mature.”] like him.”
-Matthew 5:44-48 TPT, notes and commentary added
Jesus issues us quite the challenge in Mathew 5:44-48. It’s something so difficult that we cannot possibly accomplish it without the Holy Spirit’s help - loving our enemies. Praying for people who hurt us. Doing good for those who wish us harm. This just goes against everything our instincts tell us to do, doesn’t it? And yet, this kind of powerful love does the most good.
We heal ourselves when we love our enemies.
We choose to grow & mature in our faith when we forgive.
The person who hurt you may not know they need your forgiveness, or that their own hatred imprisons them. But YOU need to know that you are capable (through Christ) of forgiving them. Your heart needs to know what it's made of - that it can extend the tough to give stuff, that it is able to show love to those who may be hard to love, and that Jesus is alive in you after all.
“For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil.” - Matthew 5:45 TPT
God showers us (literally) with forgiveness and mercy each day. And this gift is meant to be given. You can tell how fully you've embraced God's freely-given-grace by how freely you give... grace.
- Kelly
