Love and Pray for Your Enemies

Mt 5:44--But 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;

Out of all the scriptures I have read, this one is the hardest to comprehend.  Why would Jesus say to love, do good, and pray for people you would just as soon see shoveling coal (if you get my drift).  All of us have people that, to us, seem to be anointed of some kind of god to cause us harm and not good.  Or, to say it another way, they get their jollies out of hurting us in any and every way they can.  I can see some reason in it.  I don't really agree with it sometimes, but He is God and I am not.  (Let all my enemies praise Him.)

It did not seem fair that Pharaoh chose to make slaves out of God's people.  Surely that could not be the will of God for them.  But, that is what God allowed.  For one reason, (look it up if you feel you want to challenge me) God told Abraham that that is what would happen.  But He also told Abraham that He would bring them out with great substance.  He gave His Word that Abraham's children would indeed inhabit the promised land and that they would be rich when they did it.  Well, where did their riches come from?  Yes, their captors were made rich by their slavery.  BUT, at God's appointed time, their captors became obedient to God and His Word.  God said that they would come out so, God MADE them willing to let them go.  God said that they would come out with great abundance so, God MADE them willing to give to the Hebrews their great wealth.  So, in essence, their captors (enemies) were MADE to be obedient to the Word of God.

What about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ?  It did not seem fair to beat, slander and crucify the Son of God.  However, that was what God said needed to be done to redeem mankind.  It did not scare Jesus because His mind was made up to "live by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."  That was God's Word/will for Him.  In essence, the priests and Roman rulers at that particular point in time became unwitting servants of the most High God by beating and crucifying Jesus. 

What Jesus was saying to love and pray for was that our enemies follow God's plan for YOUR life all the way.  Did God destroy the slave-mongers and the religious biggots?  Yes, because they had ample time to repent.  Because of their ungodliness, God still showed them His grace and mercy towards His people.  Yet, they refused to repent and continued on their evil ways.  Did that stop God from carrying out His Word and raising Jesus from the dead?  Nope.  Did Jesus enter into a greater power realm with God?  Yep.  Read Hebrews 12:2.  Jesus endured the cross and despised the shame because He had His eyes set on JOY.  The joy He anticipated was what was going to happen AFTER the pain and suffering.  The slave-mongers and religious biggots were just pawns in God's hands. 

Did some repent to serve God?  Yes, they did.  Remember the soldier at the cross?  Remember the thief who was hung with Jesus?  Had Jesus never been willing to show love and compassion when He was being wronged, these, and others, would not have been saved.  After all, it's not about you or me, it's about Him and the lost.  If you don't meditate on anything else in this blog, meditate on that last sentence alone.

So, love and pray for your enemies.  Pray that God would bless them real good.  You might just get their gold.  For sure, you'll get their goat when God brings YOU out of bondage and leaves them OUTSIDE of His blessings.

C'mon now.  Shout and pass it on.  You know you want to.