Send to Kindleby Suzanne D. Williams
“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.” (Matthew 5:44 KJV)
Love. This means you treat your enemy like you’d treat your best friend. Like you’d treat your family. You feel love for them to that same measure. For God’s love sees no difference between man and woman, between ages, cultures, or upbringings.
Bless. This means when they spit in your face, when they call you names, when they simply say something you completely disagree with; whether those people you know, those you don’t, those you saw on TV or the internet, whoever makes the remark or does the offensive thing; you reply with a blessing. You wish them well. You wish their families well, their children well. Prosperous. Successful. Happy.
Do good. This means taking action. You’d walk with them the extra mile. You’d give the coat off your back. You’d DO something profitable for them. Something GOOD. Like love instead of hate, instead of complain. Like bless instead of scorn and mock. Instead of tearing them down, giving them a piece of your mind, choosing revenge, you roll your cares about that person, all your anxieties and anger, all the words you want to say but don’t, over on God and let Him take care of them. Let God have vengeance. And sometimes, His vengeance is mercy. Often, it is. You choose mercy.
It means you don’t choose to take offense. You don’t harbor a grudge. You don’t rehearse what was said. You don’t retaliate mentally, thinking evil of them, or vocally, with your negative response. You MOVE ON. Not worrying about your reputation, but saying, Who cares what people think about me? And going on with your day, your week, your life.
Pray. You pray for them. God, bless Mrs. So-and-So. And you are sincere. You swallow that big ball of gall and think of them like Jesus does. That’s really the bottom line. Because when faced with His own death, when looking day-in and day-out at a man who would betray Him, when hearing the lies and accusations He didn’t deserve, which would hang Him on the cross, Jesus said NOTHING.
When hanging on the cross, next to a pair of thieves, who did the crime, He offered one paradise.
Do you get that? He gave a thief the best gift He could give – eternal life. He would see that man for the rest of forever. He would speak to Him, pass by Him, and not think about what He’d done, what He’d said, who He was, except to see love and blessing and forgiveness.
He looks at you that way. Through His blood. He doesn’t see that thing you did, that mistake you made, nor the thoughts in your head which you let run freely … the hate, the sarcasm, the jeering. He sees Himself. He looks at you and sees His death, His suffering. His Resurrection.
We should love like that. We should bless like that. We should do good like that. We should pray like that.
About the Author:
Best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and photographer. She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction books.
Facebook – suzannedwilliamsauthor
Twitter – @SDWAuthor.
