44 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; 45 That
ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh
his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the
just and on the unjust. 46 For
if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the
publicans the same? -Matthew 5:44-46 (KJV)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus placed
before us the most overwhelming component of grace we can imagine; we
are to love our enemies. This flies in the face of all human reason,
for we naturally desire to love those who love us and hate those who
hate us. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ compels us
to cast off the chains of human reason and be indwelt with the Holy
Spirit. Through faith in the Lord, we put on Christ like
a protective garment against the hateful human attitudes of the world.
Galatians 3:27 reminds us, “For as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ have put on Christ.” Having put on Christ, we then
walk forward with a new heart, mind, attitude, and outlook.
Christ understood perfectly that the natural
way for relating to those who have wronged, misused, or harmed us is
to hate them. When Jesus instructed His followers to love their
enemies, He was leading them toward spiritual freedom in Him.
Hatred drags us down, smothers us with bitterness, and drains peace
from us. Just as putting on Christ liberates, putting on hatred
imprisons. Rather than walking forward in victory we end up stifled
and held back by our hatred. Do not make the mistake of believing
we can accomplish this spiritual principle on our own. We are
unable to do so. However, the Holy Spirit provides spiritual power
to do what we otherwise would have been unable to accomplish.
This includes getting rid of hatred.
Anytime we realize we dislike someone, we
do well to consider that our dislike can easily and quickly degenerate
into full-blown hatred. We might begin to look for perceived slights
or insults from the person when in reality none was ever intended.
All the while, the devil is providing the fuel needed to create a blaze
of hatred. There are also those who may have seriously wronged
us. It is always easy to hate such persons. Understand,
however, that hating others gives them a certain amount of control over
us. Hatred will rob of us sleep, peace, joy, and will interrupt
the pleasant pursuits we enjoy such as time with family or a good meal.
Jesus Christ provides release from and victory over the insidious powers
of hatred. We are then free to worship God, love others, and walk
forward unfettered by the shackles of a hateful and vengeful spirit.
What is in your heart today? Are the
uncomfortable weights of hatred and an unforgiving spirit filling your
heart? On the other hand, are you free in Jesus to walk forward
in love, joy, peace, and contentment? Allow Christ to fill you
with His Spirit, for in Him there is freedom from the chains that bind
us.
God bless you today.
