In reading Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus tells me “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (NIV)
By telling me not to retaliate but to love, Jesus keeps me from taking the law into my own hands. By loving and praying for my enemies, I can overcome evil with good. If I love my enemies and treat them well, I'll truly show that Jesus is Lord of my life. I must trust the Holy Spirit to help me show love to those for whom I may not feel love for.
Unfairness is part of the human condition. I can’t live on this earth for long without feeling like someone has treated me unfairly. For example an employer who treats me and my team more harshly than they treat others.
I can choose to respond to the people who hurt me by hurting them. But God gives me another option in his Word: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV).
When hurt, others expect me to retaliate or seek revenge. But God wants me to do the exact opposite. He wants me to respond in love.
If I respond to mistreatment with love, I’ll keep the other person from controlling me. I can’t control when another person treats me unfairly. I can however control whether I get bitter in l the process. I can control my response to injustice.
And, just because I respond to an offender lovingly doesn’t mean I continue to allow injustice. On the contrary, I must lovingly seek justice. I must work for justice in the world without retaliating. The Bible commands us to “be fair-minded and just. Do what is right!” (Jeremiah 22:3 NLT).
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great example of this. He fought against injustice without violence. He overcame evil through the power of love. He followed the example of Jesus, who chose to forgive his persecutors even as they were killing him.
That’s my calling as a follower of Jesus. Unfairness and injustice may be part of the human condition, but I must not feed into it. Instead, God calls us to respond in love.
In summary, Jesus tells me to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me. In telling me this, Jesus wants to keep me from taking the law into my own hands. Rather, He wants me to love and pray for my enemies, and overcome evil with good. If I love my enemies and treat them well, I'll truly show that Jesus is Lord of my life. I can trust the Holy Spirit to help me show love to those for whom I may not feel love for. Unfairness is just part of the human condition. I can choose to respond to the people who hurt me by hurting them, however God gives me another option which is to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me. When hurt, He wants me to respond in love. If I respond to mistreatment with love, I’ll keep the other person from controlling me. So I can’t control when another person treats me unfairly. I can control whether I get bitter in the process. I can control my response to injustice. Just because I respond to an offender lovingly doesn’t mean I continue to allow injustice. On the contrary, I must lovingly seek justice. I must work for justice in the world without retaliating. That’s my calling as a follower of Jesus. Unfairness and injustice may be part of the human condition, but I must not feed into it. Instead, God calls us to respond in love.
In retrospect, I should have completed this study yesterday, as I had somewhat of a bad time where I did not respond in love the way Jesus would want me to. Most of what I feel as injustice now is related to the lack of understanding and personal care my employer has for myself and my team. They are so focused on budget they had made decisions without all the real facts just to justify what someone wanted. At times I still have bitterness in my heart that comes out in times with what I say to others. I'm letting the situation they created to fuel in my heart. Father, I pray that I respond with loving my enemies and opposition by praying for them. I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. These things I pray through your Son Jesus Christ’s name, amen.
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