DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU – REALLY?

Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy. (Luke 6:27b-28, 35b-36 ERV)

We begin today’s meditation with Jesus’ words – perhaps some of the most challenging ever.  It takes great courage and endurance to love someone who is a hard-to-love person with character defects that irritate us. It seems almost impossible to love them when their shortcomings have injured us and perhaps continue to inflict harm on us when we are around them.  We don’t want to be co-dependent and allow those who harm us to continue to do so. Neither do we want to be people who are filled with resentment and hate because we know that is poison for us. So, how are we to respond today to what Jesus is saying?

It is true in every situation, if we seek God first, the rest will fall into place.  God loved us even when we were full of sin.  He sorted who we were from what we did.  He never condoned our bad behaviour.  He simply showed us grace and invited us to accept His love.  God sent Jesus into the world to pay the penalty for our sins so that our relationship with Him could be restored.  He then waited for us to realize the error of our ways and repent and turn to Him.

We are wise when we create healthy boundaries with people who have harmed us, but we must also deal with our own heart towards them.  We must forgive them, receive healing, and develop a sincere desire for something good to happen in their lives.  The most effective way to deal with this situation is to pray a blessing on them so they become more conscious of God’s invitation to new life with Him.  As we seek God for a right response, He may suggest ways for us to be kind and to bless the person in some tangible way. Remember hatred stirs up strife but love will cover a multitude of sins.

Prayer: Loving God, while I was still Your enemy, You invited me to come to You and receive Your love and forgiveness. Thank You for Your written Word and for teaching me Your way of forgiveness through the life and death of Jesus on my behalf.  Please fill my heart with Your love so I may find a way to bless others as You have truly blessed me.  Amen