How many of us have ever stop to think about this statement
“God is Love”? if you think about what
love is and all the goodness that you feel about love, that IS God. To
understand the depths of His love for us would take an eternity and even then
we would come to no end. Are we capable of loving the way God has loved us and
are we willing to love as Jesus has shown us?
Well, let’s see what the Bible has to say of love.
In the Song of Songs 8:6-7 (NLT) “Place me like a seal over
your heat, or like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, and its
jealousy is as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest
kind of flame. Many water cannot quench love, neither can rivers drown it. If a
man tried to buy love with everything he owned, his offer would be utterly
despised.” This heart of a young bride who eagerly awaits her mate sends
her to contemplate the depth of her love. One that is strong as death; that cannot
be destroyed by time or disaster; and it cannot be bought at any price. The
intense power of love affects the heart and mind of those in love. Love is
freely given and it is priceless, there is no price in all the world that can
buy true love. You must accept love as a gift from God and shared within the
guidelines that He provides. Love is strong, quenchless, indestructible and
invaluable.
In the Lord’s teachings of the guidelines of love, we must remember
most of all that “love is an action” word; “But I say to you who
hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also;
and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away
what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat
others the same way you want them to treat you” Luke 6:27-31 (NASB). Jesus was telling the people to
love their enemies, but such words were hard to hear especially since the Jews
despised the Romans for the oppression of God’s people. In our own strength, we
can’t love as Christ instructed, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to help
us love our enemies. Most of us can’t even begin to love our enemies, because
the things of the past are still fresh on our minds. Some of us consider
another race their enemies, then, there are those who would not be obedient to
the words of Christ because of unbelief and harden hearts. Love cannot grow as
it should in darken, harden, rebellious hearts.
What Jesus was
teaching is that, love is an act of your will, to do what God has commanded,
and this kind of love takes a conscious effort and a yieldedness to the Holy
Spirit. If you remember the mess of your own life and how God loved and forgave
you, then loving our enemies means acting in their best interest. And the way
we can do this is that, we can pray for them, we can ask God to forgive them
and bless them and we can treat them the way we want to be treated. Jesus said;
“You have heard that it
was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 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” (Mat. 5:43-44 NKJV). We need the Holy Spirit to guide us as well as
help our understanding of God’s will. Even though some of us would like to get
revenge on our enemies, it’s not necessary for God says, “…avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto
wrath; it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). God
did not instruct us at any time to get revenge on those who have wronged us. He
knows just how to deal with those who have hurt us, so what we must do is
follow His command.
Think of how Jesus
was treated the time He spent here on earth, He knew that men’s hearts were
evil, yet He loved them, He gave His life for them and He wants all men who
believe to be saved. Now we are not Jesus, I know this, but we have put our
faith in Him, we have surrendered our lives to Him and now we must conform our
lives to walking in the Spirit. For He says; “That ye may be the children of your
Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mat. 5:45). By
loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good, and by
loving our enemy as Christ loved us and treating them well, we will truly show
that Jesus is Lord of our lives. For Romans 12:20 says it so clearly: “therefore if thine enemy hungers, feed him; if he
thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his
head.” If we loved as Christ loved us, we will be
willing to forgive our enemy, we will be willing to pray and we will be willing
to show compassion. “Be ye
therefore perfect, even as you Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Mt.6:48).
Again, loving our
enemy is not easy, our task is not to please self, nor hold others in
condemnation, but it is to do God’s will. Look again at Luke 6:27-31 above, for
our instructions are:
1.
Love your enemies
2.
Bless them that curse you
3.
Do good to those that hate you
4.
Pray for your persecutors
As believers, we are all call to excel, to rise above our
weakness of living in this flesh, and become strong in Spirit by much study of
the Word, and walking in obedience to the will of God. The true test of love is
when your enemy becomes your friend, when you can see your enemy through the
eyes of Christ, their need to know a Savior who can love them and forgive them.
Now, you have that opportunity to deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ to them,
to share the love that was shed on you. Because we choose to walk in love, and
in forgiveness by giving our enemy a drink, we’re not excusing their misdeeds
we’re only recognizing their need for Christ, their need for forgiveness, and their
need for love in spite of their sins – just as Christ did for us. Our hearts
must be changed from vengeance, anger, malice, and even hatred, love was given
to us while we were walking dead in this flesh. He came and taught us God’s
ways, He showed us God’s mercy, and love gave His life for all people, and all
who now and will believe, have been cleansed by His atoning blood. Love has
redeemed us from the grip of death, and love has given us eternal life.
Love and forgiveness was given to you when you accepted
Christ, then, who are we to deny showing God’s love even to our enemies? You
are the light of the world, allow God to use the light in you to draw
desperate, hurting, despondent soul to your light. Don’t let the enemy steal
from you any longer, your peace, your joy or your love for God. Rise above your
feelings and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in your life, through
teaching, guiding, humbling you and showing you how to love your enemy. “And now abides faith, hope, love, these
three; but the greatest of these is love”
(1 Cor. 13:13)
Father, help us to love as you love us each and every
day. Help us to forgive our enemies as we show compassion and love towards them
and as you have shown to us. Let us not dwell on past hurts and injustice, but we
choose to dwell on your goodness, your love and your mercy. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Chosen2Prayer
