Why we Should Love our Enemies as well as the People who Love Us—R Fritz
It is easy to love those people that show their love to us, our enemies take more of our trust for us to love them. God wants us to love even the people who hate us. We start to show them the love and respect that everybody deserves. The respect will eventually change what they think of us. We change the people whose attitudes are against us by praying for them and letting God change their hearts. Mathew 5:44 says and this is Jesus, speaking “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;” We are not able to love our enemies without the Holy Spirit because our enemies have done nasty things against us and it is hard to forgive them especially if our enemies are still doing things that make us angry.
We have choices in how we respond to people including our enemies. We can still treat them how we feel or how we think they deserve to be treated. The thing we do not consider is maybe they believe we have done them wrong and do not know about it. Because we have let our feelings dictate how we react we are not looking at what we have said or what the other person believed we have said. It is a communication problem that neither person will look at because the spirit of pride has come upon both people and neither can see it nor want to because of their hurt. We have many people walking around with hurt and pride driving what they do. Proverbs 11:2-3 says “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.” Pride comes because we let Satan get involved in our life through our feelings. We just believe that however, we feel is us, what we do not understand is our feelings are manipulated by Satan. That is because we do not let the Holy Spirit deal with our feelings. We have to let the Holy Spirit direct our feelings by us letting go of our feelings and thoughts.
People can only see the hurt or what they believe somebody did to them. It is the Holy Spirit that is trying to get our attention to show us what has happened and we are blinded by the hurt and wanting to right the wrong. Sometimes we just need to step back and pray and find out what is really going on spiritually. When we see through our spiritual eyes, we see all sides of any situation or any issue we
cannot with our regular eyes. We need to speak to the Holy Spirit to reveal what we see and ask to see the whole picture with the understanding to know what we are looking at. We need to ask and have that relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is not automatic for the Holy Spirit to relate information to us. Like any relationship we need to grow it through communication and trust just like we do with family and friends and now the people who do not like us.
Even our enemies deserve the love shown to all through Jesus Christ. We have to be above reproach (blame). Everything we do has to be righteous and we can not be righteous without the Holy Spirit. Our interpretation of righteousness falls short of God’s righteousness. That is why it comes down to us always doing the right (righteous) thing in everything we do. Romans 12:17-20 says “Recompense (repay) to no man evil to evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shall heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” We are never to repay an evil act with an act by us that is considered evil or unrighteous. Treating somebody that has treated us wrongly or we consider evil should be brought before God through the Holy Spirit at a time when we have prayed and have come to peace with the situation. The greatest part of these verses is giving our enemy their earthly needs and by doing that we shall heap coals of fire on their head. The coals of fire come from God through the Holy Spirit and keep you righteous with the Holy Spirit dealing with this person.
If we let the Lord punish those who do us wrong or are evil, we let God give the punishment that God considers right and not us. When we decide how to get even with somebody we have decided to be judge, jury, and executioner. We do not have that right nor has God given it to man. By treating people better than they deserve we heap coals of fire on their heads. It is how God has applied to be holy and righteous and keeping us blameless.
We have decided to get even our way because we want to feel good and know they were punished. If we need to see they were punished we had better remember the times we did things wrong against people. God is going to look at our hearts and decide what is best for us. Certainly, our motives are judged by God along with the issues we are dealing with. At some point in showing love to our enemies, with God’s help, they will see that love comes from God and the Holy Spirit is who is applying that love through us. God Bless.
