Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[a] either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6:27-36
Godly love is only possible in our lives as believers, if we are walking closely with Christ, if we are regularly spending time in His Word and in prayer. Godly love is very different from the selfish, self-seeking human love that so regularly we live out.
Godly love is a love that goes beyond our human understanding. It is a love that has died to all our self-centredness. Godly love is a love that allows the supernatural love of Christ to be freely shown within our life as a believer.
One of the many surprising things that Christ taught His disciples and us was to love our enemies and to do good to those that hate us. Jesus calls us to bless those that curse us and to pray for those who use us.
He taught that we should not return evil for evil but should exhibit Godly grace and divine love, so that we can reflect the righteous characteristics of our heavenly Father. So that people might see their good deeds and glorify His holy name.
Godly love is a divine characteristic, which is only available to a child of God, to a follower of Christ who is walking in spirit and truth. Our human love is often influenced by emotions, whereas divine love is a matter of the will, a will that is guided by the indwelling Spirit of God and a heart that is content to say: Your will be done not mine.
Let’s also recognize that the supernatural love of God is an incredible weapon in the Christian’s armoury. It is a spiritual weapon of war that can only be wielded by the one who is in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit.
It is only as the love of Christ is shown and demonstrated within our heart, that we are able to love our enemies, to do good to those that hate us, to pray for those that use us and to return nothing but kindness to those that mock us and ridicule us, hate us and kill us.
Godly love is a divine characteristic that is outside the nature and understanding of sinful man. Loving our enemies and doing good to those that are unkind to us and spitefully use us can never be achieved in our own strength or self-effort.
Godly love is not something that we can learn through education or develop through a training program. The divine love of God flows from an attitude of heart that places Christ in the centre of every aspect of their life, every day.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that by faith in Christ we can have a new nature. I pray that I may live and grow more like the Jesus in the choices I make each day.
Heavenly Father I know that I can never love those that hate and despise me in my own strength, but I pray that You in Your grace would help me to make the right choices.
So that my will is align to Your perfect will, so that Your love flows through me to others. All praise and glory are due to You Lord God. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN.