Love you neighbor and your enemies

Sunshine’s Reflections

 

Good afternoon!  Happy Wednesday.  Please forgive me for not posting a blog on Monday or Tuesday.  I’m coming to the end of my first semester of Grad School and I am swamped.  Remember to always find time to do your daily devotions and to pray.  Remember to keep God first in your life and everything else will fall into place.

TFTD: Love your neighbor and your enemies

Matthew 5:43-44 (New King James Version)

   
⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor^[a] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ 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,^[b]

Romans 13:8 (New King James Version)

Love Your Neighbor
⁸ Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Galatians 5:14 (New King James Version)

¹⁴ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”^[a]

Love your neighbor and your enemies, is easier said then done.  It’s easy to love those who love you back, those who treat you right, those who are courtesy and polite.  However it is difficult, not impossible, but difficult to love people that you don’t know and especially the ones you don’t like and they don’t like you. 

When it comes to love we have to follow Christ example.  He is the greatest example known to man.  While we were still wallowing in our sins, Christ loved us.  He loved us when we didn’t even like Him or accept Him.  Surely if He could do it, than we can do it.  Christ demonstrated His love for those who mistreated Him by asking His Father to forgive them.  We can learn to love others by praying for them.  I know you are probably saying, why should I pray for those people who are mean and nasty it will just be fake?  It’s not fake if you seek to be like Christ.  You have to start somewhere.  Loving each other does not come naturally.  We have to tap into our connection with Christ in order to show love to others.  We have to first ask God to work on us so that our heart will change towards the people we are praying for.  You will have to pray until that prayer becomes sincere and genuine.

Love your neighbors by treating them how you want to be treated.  Treat them how you would treat Christ if He was sitting right in front of you.   Honestly, you never know when you could be entertaining angels, so you should treat everyone with dignity and respect.  Love your enemies and pray for them.

Demonstrating love can be challenging, but with Christ’s help you can love someone out of a bad mood.  You can love someone back to a happy place. 

What can you do to demonstrate your love for your neighbors and enemies?  How can you change your attitude towards people that mistreat you, lie on you, abuse you or even use you?

Take time to examine how you can work on loving others.  Instead of asking God to change people, ask God how He can change you to love others in spite of how they treat you.

Have a blessed day.  Love is a sweet treat.  Share it with everyone that you know. 

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Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

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