All we need is love

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you..." Matt 5:44

We aren't supposed to tolerate our enemies, we aren't told to be nice to those who persecute us. Jesus said to LOVE them. It is easy to translate love the easiest and most painless way for us. But if we look at the biblical definition of love it becomes a little more difficult to love our enemies. Heck its difficult to love our own family if we use 1 Cor 13:4-8 as our standard, and we must.

Patient, kind, not jealous, not proud, not puffed up, not rude, not selfish, nothing provokes it, no evil thoughts, saddened over trials but is happy with the truth, can handle all things, hopes for all things, it will endure and never fails; that's what love is. Do we really love our enemies? Does anyone understand what it means to love their enemies? Jesus certainly did, he prayed for them on the cross. "Father forgive them..." Luke 23:34. Would you choose a friend knowing that one day they will condemn you to death? Would you invest time and energy into someone who would sell you out for a few bucks? Would you serve and wash the feet of a friend who will betray you, lie about you and help to ensure that you are arrested for crimes you did not commit? Jesus did these very things for Judas, a man who turned out to be an enemy. The most amazing thing is, Jesus knew he was going to do it, Jesus knew what was going to happen and Jesus loved him. Stephen prayed "Lord do not charge them with this sin." as he was on the ground being stoned to death. Love through prayer.

Hooker says, "Prayer is that which we always have in our power to bestow, and they never in theirs to refuse it."

If you want to love your enemies, begin by praying for them. Prayer changes things and it usually begins with the one in prayer. When you pray your mind begins to be transformed to the mind of Christ. Your perspectives begin to change and your wants, desires and even your hatred begin to take on the perspective of Christ.

Before any Christian was a child of God, they were an enemy. God did not refuse to love us and because of it we were allowed to experience his incredible grace and mercy. Who have you written off as unsalvagable because they are your enemy and you think they are without hope? Jesus died for his enemies, out of gratitude and awe of what He did could you love yours?

We are to be different, we are supposed to look different than the world, we are to love our enemies, bless those who persecute us and do good to those that hate us. Those are not worldy traits.

Matthew Henry said, "Christianity is more than humanity."

Be more than everyone else, all you need is love.