How can I Love My Enemy?

 

 

How can I Love My Enemy?

 

         Shall we begin with Webster’s definition of love: 1.) a strong affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons.  We should also look at the definition for the enemy; 1.) a person, who hates another, and wishes or tries to injure him; a person hostile to an idea, cause, etc.; adversary; foe.  Now that we have an understanding of the subject matter, let’s go deeper.

 

         The Scripture goes into great detail that God is love.  In the book of 1 John chapter 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  Skip to verses 11-13 and we begin to understand that God wants us to abide in Him.  “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  By this, we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”  We could fill this page with verses on how God loves us but verse 16 of 1 John 4 is a great place to stop.  “So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

 

         Two things that I should point out from above are; first the word “beloved”, is what God is calling you, if you are in Christ.  How can you be “in Christ”, verse 15 of the chapter above spells that out for us; “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”  The second word is “abide” and therein lies our problem.  How do we abide in God?

 

         I have been reading a book by Dan Patrick titled “The Second Most Important Book You’ll Ever Read” and I quote from page 67.  “Before any person can feel truly good about his outward actions, he must feel good about his inward relationships with God and others.  And before he can feel good about his inward relationships, he must know that he is loved by God, forgiven by God, and fully accepted and counted as worthy by God.  Once a person knows that he is loved, forgiven, and valued by God, it is easy to live by God’s commandments.  All of the “have to” attitudes associated with the commandments are replaced by “want to” attitudes!  

         Jesus taught this: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words.” (John 14:23-24)

 

Dan goes on to remind us that the Bible also commands us to love our neighbor and Jesus made it clear that he’s talking about the guy next door, the guys we work with, and the ones He has placed over us in authority.  How do we love our neighbor?  The same way we love our enemy.  We have to abide in God.  How do we abide in God?

 

         First let me state that Dan hit it on the head, “he must feel good about his inward relationship with God and others.  And before he can feel good about his inward relationships, he must know that he is loved by God, forgiven by God, and fully accepted and counted as worthy by God.”  I also believe you have got to deal with this statement; “He is God and you are not.”  

 

         The sovereignty of God must be dealt with in your heart and mind.  Have you agreed with these truths: 1) The term sovereignty means “independent from external control.” 2.) The concept includes the idea of supreme authority and power or the rule of a monarch. 3) Sovereignty means God is in control of it all.  4) God is way beyond our figuring out. 5) God is sovereign in business and world events – yesterday and today! 6) God can use anyone and anything to accomplish His purposes.  (The above was taken from the book titled “Gripped by the Greatness of God.”

 

If you agree that God is sovereign then you must come to this conclusion: I can thank God for trusting me with this experience even if He never tells me why.  I will be obedient when told.  That means I will obey the authority God has placed over me in my business and government.  I will live a righteous life when tempted and will be submissive when tried.  I will not try to play god, but I will abide in Him.

 

         I will close with a prayer I read from “Gripped by the Greatness of God”.  Sovereign Lord, according to Your promise, You work All things together for my good when I love You and respond to Your call and purpose for my life.  Help me learn to love and obey You so I can experience Your best in All things.  And help me trust You when I don’t understand all You allow to come my way.  Open my mind this week to understand Your sovereignty. Amen.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice