Matthew 5:43-47 (King James Version)
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Matthew 5:43-47 (The Message)
43-47"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
Word in Action:
There can be no victory if there is no battle. There can be no battle if there is no opposition. Be grateful for your enemies.
In many ways, opposition is just as important to our development as encouragement. Opposition challenges us to perform at a level beyond our comfort zone. It demands that we occasionally reassess our current position and create new strategies for our next steps.
Yesterday was Super Bowl XLIII. Each team’s touchdown motivated the other to step-up their game. At the end of it all, only one team walked away with the championship title, but every participant in the game gained something from the experience. Each participant was physically stretched beyond what he thought he could achieve. One player, James Harrison, even scored a record 100 yard touchdown. What made his achievement possible? Years of training contributed greatly. Self-discipline was a pre-requisite. Support from his teammates was part of the formula. Guidance from the team’s coaches was a valuable component. While each of the aforementioned factors were required for Harrison’s record-setting success, I submit to you that if the Arizona Cardinals had not been there to oppose Harrison and his teammates, he would have been unable to set a new standard.
It’s no different for us in our everyday lives. We need opposition to motivate us to stretch past our limits….to set new standards. The Bible tells us that trials and tribulations come to make us strong. Matthew 5:43 even goes so far as to tell us to love our enemies. It is not natural for us to love our enemies. By instructing us to do so, God is challenging us to go beyond the limitations of our fleshly thoughts and human inclinations. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit’s influence in our lives are we able to love those who seem to always be against us. Our ability to demonstrate God’s love, grace and mercy can be a proxy for gauging how close we are to our “spiritual end-zones.” But it’s not touchdowns that we are after. Our goal is to be transformed into the image of Christ.
Declaration of Faith:
Through the power of the Holy Spirit I can love my enemies and understand the value of opposition.
Song of Praise:
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Wow, this is deep! I've never looked at it this way. When I think of my enemies, those who have misused me, talked about me, lied about me, etc. I've never thought that without them I wouldn't be as strong as I am. I have thought about the different hurdles and obstacles that I've overcome and realized how they've strengthened me, but never the actual people that I've encountered. This analogy using the Superbowl is great! It gives us a good example of how God uses our opposition to take us to a new level a greater level. I now realize that there can be no victory if there is no battle, and there can be no battle if there is no opposition. So I am grateful for my enemies, I will love them and bless them that curse me and PRAY for them that despitefully use me and persecute me. I am even more grateful for VICTORY over them!!! ;)
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