The first time Jesus mentioned Love in the Book of Matthew, it was to our enemies he asked us to show it. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus said “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45)
Unfortunately that is not what we are taught today by many church leaders. In fact I have not seen any other faith founders that said to love our enemies. Only Jesus said and did that. Jesus did not come to find a religion, He came to save sinners, and that is why He remains totally incomparable to others. He is the creator of mankind and loves all His creation – both the good and the bad.
Jesus commanded us to love God and to love our neighbors. As a matter of fact, he said this is the only proof that we belong to Him. Jesus demonstrated his love to His father to us by giving Himself to God’s will to die for us (Heb. 5:7-9).
He demonstrated His love for mankind by dying for their sins on the Cross of Calvary to redeem us back to God. He demonstrated His love for His enemies by asking God not to count their sins against them, but to forgive them and have them come to God. Not once did He curse His enemies, those who were against Him, not even those who crucified Him.
Jesus instructed us to love one another as God loves us. God loves us by giving His only begotten Son to die for us when we did not deserve to be died for. That is the divine love, it is unmeritable and shown to us all who do not in any way merit it. That is the love we are commanded to show to others, an unconditional and unmerited love; not a conditional, predatory, selective love.
God is love, if we claim to be His children and do not love, we deceive ourselves. If we claim to love God and do not obey Him, we are only lying, and the truth will find us out. It cannot be long, the world will see it that we are only lying. The evidence of our love for God is by our love, and consequently our obedience to God and His Words.
The Bible says “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Please join me to pray these requests to the Lord:
- Father, grant me today the revelation of your love for me and all around me. Help me to see your Love today in the Name of Jesus
- Father, open the eyes of my understanding to the realities and truth of your love for me today in the Name of Jesus
- Father, make me see the depth, height, breadth and length of your love for me and those around me, all the days of my life in Jesus Name.
- Father, help me to love you as I ought to truly love you all the days of my life in the Name of Jesus
- Father, help me to shine the Light of your Love practically to other people around me in the Name of Jesus
- Father, let every tendency to hate anyone in my life die in the Name of Jesus. I ask you LORD to destroy the influence of the devil over my enemies and ask your light to shine upon their hearts for salvation and encounter with you in the Name of Jesus.
- Father, reduce me to nothing but Love for the rest of my life in the Name of Jesus.
