Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” Luke 6:27-28

Love your enemies, Jesus says. I’ve heard this command since I was a child and yet it is difficult to follow. Just when I think I’ve come to the point in my life when I’m consistently praying for those who hurt me, POW, another blow blind sides me. Loving our enemies goes against every grain in our being. Revenge is what we want. Let those who hurt us have the same taste in their mouths that we have. Many think tales of revenge originated with Shakespeare but he was merely carrying forward the centuries old “eye for an eye” mentality. Yet what Jesus is sharing with us in Luke 6 is truly a mind bender. Something that must be divine for it goes against our very nature. Jesus is asking us to forgive those who hurt us. Not just give lip service to such forgiveness, but deep down forgiving and forgetting. Is it possible that there is a

A Greater Joy Awaiting In Forgiveness?

Just a few verses later in Luke 6:35 Jesus shares that when we love our enemies, “your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most high God.” This is a reward beyond measure. When I think of God working in my life in this manor I often think of Philippians 2:13, “for it is God at work IN YOU…” Imagine God working in your life to the point where forgiveness becomes second nature. Imagine a life filled with such inner peace. When the blows come, and they will come, with God at work in you, you too will whisper the same words Jesus said from the cross. For in spite of what His enemies were putting him through, Jesus still said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”