"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:44-48 NKJV.
When we think of our enemies, pain seeks revenge, which is our natural human response; fear chooses apathy, which is convenient as it saves us from getting into trouble; ego deceives with a sense of moral superiority, which is not of God; street wisdom puts up false pretense and adopts hypocrisy to ward off evil. And as though it is not already a struggle not be consumed by the pain, hurt and injustice inflicted by those who hate and persecute us; GOD tells us to LOVE our enemies! LOVE our enemies?! BLESS those who curse us?! DO GOOD to those who hate us?! PRAY for those who spitefully use and persecute us?! God, you must be kidding. Can't You see who's the victim here?!
I believe the reason we are asked to do so derives its source from the heart of the Father, "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...to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty...Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." Matthew 5:44-48 The Message. It's only when we begin to pray for our enemies, that our eyes are opened to see who GOD really is, and who we are created to be. Only then will we be ready to receive the substance of the Father's heart as our own. Only then will we realise the state of poverty that our heart has been in, and desire to be filled with love from the Father's heart for those whom He has created in His image.
God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of the earth." God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. Genesis 1:26-27 The Message. If you didn't know then, you know now. If you are about to give up or give in; let God. Allow God to release His unconditional love into your weary heart to heal it. Let God bring about a miracle in your life. Not in your time but in His. Not according to your will but His. Not according to the terms and conditions that you have listed out. But according to His unfailing love and goodness.
He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right. He won't tire out and quit. He won't be stopped until he's finished his work - to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching." Isaiah 42:3-4 The Message. And the expression of His love, he stretched out his arms, only to have six-inch long Roman nails driven through his hands and feet as he was crucified on Roman cross. Yet, his last words were, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Luke 23:34 NKJV. "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. Matthew 5:48 The Message.
It happened according to His purpose. "Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them." Isaiah 55:10-11. He is in control of tomorrow. At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb with the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn't find the body of the Master Jesus.
They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. Then the men said, "Why are you looking for The Living One in a cemetery? He is not here but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?" Then they remembered Jesus' words. They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. Luke 24:1-9 The Message.
Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerned Me." And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:44-47 NKJV.
Jesus is risen!
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