“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. “The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm” ( Proverbs 11:17 NASB). Notice the benefits that come from showing love (italics added). Blessing him erased my irritation and stopped his calls. The next time he called I said, “God bless you, Lance” (not his real name).
#Love your enemies bible verse how to#
I asked the Lord to show me how to bless him when I’d rather blast him. My suspicions on the caller’s identity were confirmed when my answering machine recorded him talking to his child before he realized it had picked up. The man would call and then say nothing when I picked up the phone. He keyed her car and targeted me with annoying calls. Her brother quickly became an enemy when my client learned to tell him no. I got to test this principle when I was helping a counseling client set boundaries with a family member. Doing good crushes evil, heals and empowers us, and radiates Jesus. We “overcome evil with good,” not neutrality ( Romans 12:19-21). We know vengeance belongs to God, but refraining from retaliation doesn’t seem to be enough to protect our souls from bitterness. But the Bible also shows the benefits of heeding this command. The short answer to why we obey Jesus’ command to love our enemy is because He says so. To read more verses about this kind of Biblical love, click here. However, when they returned an enemy’s lost animal, they probably didn’t stay and socialize. If someone returned their brother’s lost property, they might stay to celebrate and share a meal together. In other words, they were to always do the right thing no matter who benefited. If they found their enemy’s lost animal, they were to return it, too ( Exodus 23:4). For example, God told the Israelites to return their brother’s stray ox or donkey when they found it ( Deuteronomy 22:1). Offering help when they’re in trouble is another way to show love. An honest prayer can include asking God to grant the person repentance from their hurtful ways and bring them into a saving relationship with Himself. Praying for the offender is one way that we can show love. 5:8).īiblical love is shown through our actions. Christ demonstrated His love on the cross by dying for us while we were His enemies ( Rom. When Jesus told us to love our enemies, He wasn’t asking us to manufacture fuzzy feelings. Godly love seeks a person’s eternal best.
What do I mean when I toss love around these dissimilar objects? I love how sunsets look, cookies taste, and my dogs make me feel.īiblical love isn’t about my tastes or how someone makes me feel.
I love beach sunsets, chocolate chip cookies, and my standard poodles. Most of us associate love with warm feelings.
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