Love your enemies

Matthew 5:43-44 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

1 Peter 3:9 - "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

Romans 12:20-21 - "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."

Loving your enemies may seem like an unreasonable and impossible task, until you reach the point where you fully realise that you yourself were an enemy of God, until he forgave you. When you love your enemies, you see them as Christ does - people in need of grace. We all have people in our lives that have done us wrong or hurt us in some way. The wrong doing could be fairly minor or much more significant. Both are the actions of our enemies and both need forgiveness. Achieving this needs prayer and as you will know, you cannot pray for someone without feeling compassion for them. This is one of the ways in which God can turn your enemies into friends. It takes more effort to hate and feel bitter towards someone than it does to forgive and love them. And whilst there is bitterness in your heart you will never be at peace or at one with Jesus.

Luke 6:27-29 - "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic."

Luke 23:24 - "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'"

No matter what your enemies do to you, always respond with forgiveness. The actions you take towards your enemies should include saying a prayer for them as well as acts of kindness. Your attitude towards them should not be one of revenge or ill will, and the words you speak should be gentle. This is what sets you apart from the rest of the world, as Jesus did exactly the same.