"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, that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)
The world will try to tell you to love people who love you and hate people who hate you. The world will tell you that someone deserves to be hated, but this is not what Christ tells us. He says, "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..." Why would we ever love our enemies? Why should I pray for someone who just egged my car? Why should I be kind towards someone who just cussed me out? I should get even, so says the world. Jesus calls us to love our enemies and do kind things towards them, "that you may be children from your Father in Heaven."
What does that even mean? It means that we love our enemies and do kind things for them because God did that for us; and if we want to be followers of Jesus Christ, children of God, we need to imitate our Heavenly Father. "Well, I can love people and still not like my enemies." Well, before you come up with your excuses to get out of doing what God told you to do, read James 4:4. "You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: if you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God." When we decide to give into what the world wants us to do over what God wants us to do, we are picking sides; and if we are on the world's side, we are enemies of God, just like people who do wrong are enemies of us. Before you were serving God, you were His enemy. He was gracious and showed you mercy and kindness. He has been merciful and forgiving to us, and we are called to be the same way.
"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" We are called to love everyone, not just people who make us feel loved. Anyone can love the popular guy who makes you feel welcome, or the girl who gives you a ride everyone. That's easy. Even those who do not have the love of God can do that. If you cannot love those who hate you, or be kind to those who are not kind to you, how do you know that the love of God is in you? If you do not love those who hate you, just as God loved you when you were His enemy, you are not imitating Christ. He is calling us to do this! He says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
No one said that it would be easy, but you have an easier task then Jesus Christ did. All you have to do is let God help you love your enemies. Jesus had to die for all of His enemies and rise again to give them a chance in Heaven. We just have to ask God to help us be more loving. 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." Be honest with yourself. Are you loving others the way God told you to do in the Bible? In the end, He will hold you accountable for all of the love that you were supposed to give. If you are not giving love, you will be held accountable. It is between you and God; but we must be patient like God was patient, and love our enemies like God loves us. It is what He called us to do. As Christians, we are supposed to follow our Father's commands. The choice to love your enemies will not be forgotten by God. Remember that He died for everyone on the cross, including the person that you cannot stand! He also died for you. How will you pay Him back?
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
-D
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