Where Is The Love?
"When you love your enemies you reveal what kind of God our God is"
We are living in a time where HATE seems to be the norm. Everyone is so caught up on emotions and how THEY feel, and they allow that to overcome their life. One thing for sure is that if you let how "YOU FEEL" run your life it will ruin your life as well. We have to understand that not everyone is going to like you, not everyone want the best for you, not everyone is going to "PUT RESPECT ON YOUR NAME" , but you can't let that put you in a place where your heart becomes HARD towards them.
I can't sit here and act as if I have all the answers or a perfectionist on how to deal with your "enemies". I struggle with this on a daily basis. There are days I am tested by people on purpose, but by these tests I can see what and where I need to work on concerning my heart. What I can say is that I have definitely matured in this area where it pertains to growth and maturity. I know that we all have come across people who have rubbed us the wrong way, but God gave us a command on how to deal with those people.
Matthew 5:44-45 (KJV); 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 45 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.
I work with people on a day to day basis from different walks of life. I come across people who are rude and disrespectful and have no manners what so ever. There are days that I dread calling certain people because I tend to catch them on a bad day or bad time where they are grumpy, angry and just miserable, and they take it out on me. I do get frustrated and feel my heart pounding so hard that you could probably see the imprint through my shirt. I've been known ( in the past of course) to have a slick mouth, but the Lord has dealt with me concerning self-control. Whenever I feel my emotions rising I hear the Lord telling me " You are responsible for your response, speak with Love and Calmness."
Proverbs 15: A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
Believe it or not it works. I take DEEP..... DEEP breaths and respond with a soft tone and usually by the end of the conversation their tone has changed and everyone is happy and satisfied.
How we treat those who have came against us shows who we TRULY are and our hearts posture. Our hearts posture is important as believers because it shows others our true self in the purest form, and like I've said before what is in our heart will come out. So if we are continuously feeding our spirit with negativity, anger, frustration, hate, drama, gossip, evil,judgment ect, then that's what we will exude and no one wants to be around a negative Nacy.
So it's important that we continue to keep love and forgiveness in our hearts and make sure our posture is that of God. Now don't get me wrong, It is easier said than done, but believe you me with enough Practice, Self- Control, and SELFLESSNESS it will become easier. I have some Tips/ encouragement for everyone struggling with walking in love where is concerns your enemies:
- Tip 1: Pray for them- Now when you pray for your "enemies" it may or may not change them but it will change you. When you're praying for your enemies don't pray with intent that God will get revenge or something bad happens to them. Truly pray for their hearts to be healed, delivered, made whole and overall well being.
- Tip 2:Don't practice "selective kindness" show kindness even to those who don't return it. This is putting our faith into action.
- Tip 3 ( Reminder) : People are the least lovable when they need love the most.
- Tip 4: Let God deal with your enemies
- Tip 5: Be careful with how you respond
- Tip 6: When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that , the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there.
- Tip 7: Jesus will never ask you to do something His Spirit is unable help you accomplish.
Forgiveness releases the offense into the hands of God remember that.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)
Why should we love our enemies?
- God Commands that we love Everyone- Including our Enemies
- Our Highest calling is to spread the gospel and help others grow in Christ:
- Jesus Loved His enemies. Make Him your example
Loving your enemies it's not a suggestion, but a command from God. I know, I know they don't deserve your love or even your attention, but how can we show the love of God if we continue to walk in our flesh. As followers of Christ our life must be fully in accordance with the Gospel. Only then we shall be able to get forgiveness and blessings of our Lord.
Now this is just me, but I can't see how we can call ourselves a CHRISTIAN and not be CHRIST -LIKE. We have the perfect example of how to be a Christian through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you read the story of Jesus and see all he went through from being lied on, betrayed by his own, beaten, spit on, humiliated, mocked but through it all he never sinned and still had love regardless, that should be our mindset as well.
Leviticus 19:18 - Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I [am] the LORD.Think about how many times we have asked God to forgive us of what we have done? Did you know that the word says " in Matthew 6:15; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." This is simply saying that in order for us to be forgiven by our heavenly father for our wicked acts done against Him, we must be able to forgive others who have come against us. We sin against God on a daily basis, especially if we are walking in Hate and Unforgiveness. In Hebrews 10: v26-v31 it talks about those who sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins ( v26). We as believers and even those who may not believe but know some what of the word ( the basics) know that walking in Love and forgiveness is a command, and when we walk in ignorance and continue to sin and walk in disobedience, we are setting ourselves up for judgment and fiery indignation against those who live against God.
Could you imagine if God wasn't so merciful, graceful and loving, and we lived in the manner in which we live today?
Let's take a Test: Let's examine ourselves and see what areas we need to work on. "0" means " I need Improvement""10" means " I'm great at this". ____ I am patient.____ I am kind.____ I do not envy.____ I do not boast.____ I am not proud.____ I am not rude.____ I am not self-seeking.____ I am not easily angered.____ I keep no record of wrongs.____ I do not delight in evil.____ I rejoice with the truth.____ I always protect.____ I always trust.____ I always hope.____ I always persevere.____ My love never fails.Look at your answers and see what needs improvement. Maybe you need to get in your prayer closet and ask God to help you in these areas. I know I see some that I still need to work on.
We must remember that Hurt people..... Hurt people. We never know what someone is going through at home or within themselves. The wrong response could make them go over the edge and results could be crucial even deadly, or if you respond with love the outcome could be life changing and end on a positive note . Don't let a hard and UGLY heart send you to hell. It is not worth it. Forgive, Love and Move on. We are living in the last days and the world is just getting darker, wicked and evil. We need more Love in this world than Hate.
THE ONLY BEEF WE SHOULD HAVE IS BEEF WITH THE DEVIL! xoxo... Z.M <3