Love Your Enemies

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. 

Matthew 5:44 

But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. 

Acts 9:15 & 13:2 

Christ practiced what He preached. The first verse of our text is something Christ said during the Sermon on the Mount. The second verse is what He said to Ananias in Damascus when he protested about contacting Saul of Tarsus. The third verse is His instruction to the Apostles regarding Saul’s missionary work. Saul of Tarsus had begun as a bitter enemy of Christ. Christ took his persecution of His people as a persecution of Himself and said so. Saul was a prime candidate for hell. What we see in Christ’s dealing with him is an excellent example of loving one’s enemies. He did not love Saul because he deserved it. He was not gracious to him because of any merit. He loved His enemy. This is perhaps one of the most unnatural things in our human experience. Christ refers to what is natural in the preceding verse in Matthew when He says, ‘You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ That verse expresses our natural response to our enemies. Christ’s way is the reverse of what is natural. There is no way we can accomplish this in and of ourselves. It requires what only the Holy Spirit can do in us. It is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that enables us to follow Christ’s instructions. Thus Christ and the Holy Spirit is the key to this. Christ loved His enemy Saul, and showed us what is the true imitation of Him. 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You are our Great Example. 
We praise You that Your Holy Spirit enables us, 
to do what we could never naturally do ourselves. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning