"Love Your Enemies!" - Part 1

[Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

                       

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48 - “⁴³ You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” ⁴⁴ But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. ⁴⁵ Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. ⁴⁶ If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors love their friends. ⁴⁷ If you greet only your friends, what’s so great about that? Don’t even unbelievers do that? ⁴⁸ But you must always act like your Father in heaven” (www.biblegateway.com).

 

When we withdraw from someone who has done us wrong (or so we think), we are NOT allowing the love of God to flow through us; this hinders God’s love from flowing from our hearts to theirs!! Sometimes the only God people may see is in you and we MUST let our light shine to men so they can see the Jesus in us; we are the light of the world (Matt 5:14). We CANNOT allow our OLD selfish, sinful nature to control us; we USE to act like that when someone hurt us!! The main thing, we are NOT adhering to do what the Word of God says concerning our enemies in Matthew 5:43-48 (above)! We must forgive others unconditionally as God forgives us; God throws our sins in the sea of forgetfulness – NEVER to remember them again – this is what Micah 7:18-19 says about our God:

 

“¹⁸ Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger forever, because He delights in mercy and loving-kindness.

¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us; He will subdue and tread underfoot our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (biblegateway.com – AMP –Amplified Bible).

 

When we REALLY forgive someone, we do not bring it up to them over and over and over; we don’t say “I will forgive you, BUT I will not forget it!!” That is NOT forgiveness; you are still angry and bitter at the person and are preventing God’s love from flowing through you to him/her!! You have not really decided to forgive the person; you want to hold on to the offense but when you hold on to the offense you are also holding on to the pain/hurt!! In order for the hurt to leave, the offense has to leave and in order for the offense to leave, you MUST forgive from your heart!!

Click here for Part 1 of "Love Your Enemies" - (This is a 6 part teaching)

May God bless you and keep you!

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks