DEVOTION: Week of February 15

Jesus said some really challenging things in Matthew 5, specifically toward the end of the chapter. Things that we as a culture seem to have conveniently forgotten about since the day He uttered them, but even moreso in the last few years.

There’s one specific truth bomb He lights as He’s sitting on the mountain having just launched into the Sermon on the Mount. First He challenges all rational thought with: blessed are the poor in spirit; you are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world; I came to fulfill the law, not abolish it; and a whole lot more.

Then, Jesus casually talks about loving your enemies, and the bomb explodes with these words:

“But I say to you, love your enemies,
bless those who curse you, do good
to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you, that
you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:44-45, emphasis mine)

What is fascinating about this verse is the specific Greek word Jesus uses for ‘love’ — He very clearly and intentionally uses the word agapeo. Agapeo means: to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly, have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of.

It’s the same Greek word Jesus used when He says to LOVE God with all your heart, soul and mind, and to LOVE your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:37-39).

And it’s the same word John used to describe how God LOVED the world so much that He send His one and only Son into it (John 3:16). 

I imagine Jesus’ teaching on that mountain going something like this:

He point-blank stares each person in the eye one-by-one, pointer finger extended, and says: 

“You say you love my Father with everything that is in you? Love your enemies the exact same way. You say you love your neighbor as yourself? Love your enemies with that same love. God loved y’all so stinking much He sent me here, for purposes I have yet to fulfill that will actually blow your mind — Love. Them. As. Much. As. That.”

I imagine there’s an intensity and seriousness to it, a make-no-mistakes about it. (Then because I’m weird, I imagine He ends with an “I’m watching you” hand gesture between his eyes and their eyes like I do to my kids.)

“To truly fulfill this law we must love,
bless, do good and pray for our
enemies – not only our friends.”
(David Guzik)

Are we, today, loving our enemies with this kind of love?

Because here’s what I see every single day, friends. EVERY SINGLE DAY. I see believers willing to take a stand for a cause of Christ without being willing to do what He has commanded us to do. We are not loving, blessing, doing good or praying for our enemies. I see us willing to say that Jesus is Lord but not willing to agapeo the ones we consider enemies. Instead of loving, we lash out, gossip, and post hateful and slanderous things about the very people Jesus told us to love. 

Remember, the majority of the people Jesus was talking to had a sinful habit of considering whomever they pleased as being an enemy — Samaritans, gentiles, anyone from a region or religion or political leaning they didn’t like. Perhaps we are no different; our enemies have become teachers, leaders, politicians, friends, family and followers on social media that simply disagree with us.

Is this what Jesus would do? A million times no never absolutely not. Jesus would pray for them. He would love them with agapeo love, which when boiled down to its essence means,

“We must pay respect to the human nature, and so far honour all
men: we must take notice, with pleasure, of that even in our enemies
which is amiable and commendable; ingenuousness, good temper,
learning, and moral virtue, kindness to others, profession of religion,
etc., and love that, though they are our enemies. We must have
a compassion for them, and a good will toward them.”
(Matthew Henry)

Jesus may speak some hard truth to His enemies, and even exhibit visible frustration. But He would do it without the hatefulness, bitterness, malice, anger and rage that we seem to have taken up and confused with the armor of God.

Loving our enemies means that even though we say we’re praying for them (but are we? really?), we’re going above that — we’re also blessing them. Loving them with our full hearts. Praying for them the way we pray for our loved ones — for God’s will, protection, healing, provision, salvation, favor. 

Our greatest calling as believers is to love God, love others, and go tell everyone about that love. Consider then, do our actions, words, attitudes and posts display the true nature of Jesus to others? Does it invite them into what is so amazing and different about Christianity from every other religion? For most of us, I would say not. And friends, Jesus is demanding we undergo a heart-change in order to show the world what makes Him different.

“Jesus here taught the character of the citizens of His kingdom.
We should expect that character to be different
from the character seen in the world.”
(David Guzik)

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t fight evil, or take a stand for what is good, or proclaim truth. We are warriors on mission for the gospel of Christ, of course we should. But what it does mean is that even in the midst of doing those things, our enemies should see in our character, our words and actions,

“That we are renewed, repentant and redeemed by Christ.
That we have a power others don’t have — Christ.
That we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us.
That we have a better future.”
(David Guzik)

Friends, our unbelieving friends, families, and co-workers are watching…and so are our kids. They’re taking notes on how we react to, respond to, and reciprocate with words and actions that are contrary to ours.

Our charge is to show them the Way and let them see Christ in us. To literally BE that light of the world Jesus talked about just a few verses earlier. But we’ve let hate or even apathy dim it so much He cannot be seen.

My true heart’s desire is to continually be transformed into the image of Christ… if I want to look more like Him next year than I look like Him now, that means I have to be intentional about truly taking up the words of Christ and putting them into action.

Even loving my enemies in the way Christ has commanded me to.

If we want to be as loving to others as we are loved by God — then we have to get better at loving our enemies, friends. We have to. We are not making disciples by our actions right now. We’re not enticing anyone to turn to Jesus, because to them, our Jesus is no different from anything else the world has to offer. It grieves to think how many may have turned their backs on Jesus because of my words or behavior. Lord have mercy on me.

If we are going to Be Loved, we have to then extend love. True, holy, biblical, agapeo love.

Especially to our enemies.

QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

MONDAY

The first step in loving our enemies is acknowledging that we’ve failed to do it how He has commanded us to. Spend time today praying and asking God for forgiveness for the ways you’ve neglected to reflect Christ to your enemies in the past. Then ask Him to open your eyes, heart and mind to the way you speak and act toward them in the future. Ask for His strength, grace and power to love as He would.

TUESDAY

Loving our enemies has to be one of the hardest things Jesus asks us to do. It can feel wholly unfair to have to love when the person He’s telling us to love seems to be full of hate, anger, bias and crooked behavior. However, this is exactly why we need to rely on His strength to love this way, not our own. We have to fill ourselves up with Him, so He is the one enabling us to do so. Plus, He is very clear as to the ramifications of not loving the way He’s asked us to. Journal your own personal struggles with loving your enemies, and ask for His power to fill you so you can love better.

“Refuse to be a critic full of bias toward others, and judgment will not be passed on you. For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you. Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and yet fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own?”  (Matthew 7:1-3, The Passion Translation)

WEDNESDAY

Go through your social media feeds — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. — and delete any posts that would reflect the opposite of how God calls us to love our enemies. Look at everything you’ve liked, shared or posted personally and ask yourself honestly if Jesus Himself would post that. #WWJP? Whatever you find that is contrary to the command to agapeo your enemies, remove it completely and pray while you do that God would remove any negative impact on those who saw it.

“Never gloat when your enemy meets disaster and don’t be quick to rejoice if he falls. For the Lord, who sees your heart, will be displeased with you and will pity your foe.” (Proverbs 24:17, The Passion Translation)

THURSDAY

Right or wrong, today’s political climate has gotten the better of us. The real enemy, Satan, is standing back in sheer delight at the willingness we have to fully engage in divisiveness, bitterness, misconduct, and worse amongst each other as believers, and each other as God’s children as a whole. We have to do better. Set limits for yourself today on how much news, tv, internet and social media you’ll engage in related to politics and current events. Refuse to be overcome by overload. Spend more time studying the words of God than the opinions of man, and watch your heart shift toward being more loving.

“Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32, The Message)

FRIDAY

The crazy thing about loving our enemies is that most of the time, the other person has no idea that we consider them an enemy, or what even the offense was. And if we’re honest with ourself, are they really an enemy in the true sense of the word? Or are they just someone we disagree with, feel threatened by, are frustrated with? We harbor all this anger and bitterness and betrayal in our hearts and they have no idea that we feel that way. The Bible clearly states that no matter the enemy and the offense, the responsibility is on us as disciples to be the ones who initiate forgiveness. Maybe today, journal a list of your “enemies.” Identify first and foremost if they are truly an enemy. Ask forgiveness for calling those enemies who really aren’t. Then pray and release all you’re carrying in your heart against them, asking God to bring healing to you and to them.

“And whenever you stand praying, if you find that you carry something in your heart against another person, release him and forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also release you and forgive you of your faults.” (Mark 11:35, The Passion Translation)

WANT TO HEAR MORE?

Go back and listen to one of our earlier podcasts on what it means to Be Loved by Jesus.