Tough Enough?

While doing my devotion I was able to come across the teaching of Jesus about loving your enemies. For me this is one of the remarkable teachings of Jesus about being a follower of Him, loving your enemy instead of fighting them back. Probably when this teaching was heard by those people living in Jesus' times said , "Have you gone mad? Love your enemies while Moses told us that tooth for a tooth and eye for an eye?".


We both understand and agree that it is not that easy to follow this law of loving your enemies. It's not easy especially if they hurt us so bad and so deep. We mostly fight back when our feelings are being hurt and when someone just stepped on our pride. I do not know about you and what you are going through right now but I believe that if anyone of us has Christ and his love in our life and heart, there is nothing impossible and everything will be just easy to do even loving our worst enemy.

Jesus said: "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" (Matthew 5:43-44).

Today let us ask ourselves; Are we tough enough to take this challenge? Tough enoug to set aside all the bad things that were made to us by our enemies,persecutors and people who hurt us?

If so...

Why don't we grab a pen and paper and try to write down all their names and let us include them in our prayers. Let's pray for them like what jesus did when he was being crucified (Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Let us also pray for ourselves that God would give us strengtth and courage to love those people and understand them and give us more patience and love for one another. Let start it tonight listing down their names and praying for them and start loving them tommorow and show them who Jesus' followers really are and what love is all really about!

Please take also time to meditate on the following verses below that give us reason and some point why we have to love our enemies:

God commands us to love.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (Romans 12:14).

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it (1 Corinthians 4:12).

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble (1 John 2:9-10).

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice (Philippians 1:18).