Love Your Enemies
Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6:30-36
I won’t mince words. This entry is difficult for me to write. It’s difficult because God is still helping me to work through what I’m about to tell you. It’s not a finished, done deal. There’s no nifty bow to tie it up neatly. I don’t have a lot of closure with this one, but I think that’s precisely why I need to share it with you, dear reader. I am in the trenches right now, and God is not done prying my gnarled, crooked fingers off of the stubborn unforgiveness to which I am clinging. What was I just saying about deeply rooted sin and tending the garden of my heart? Yeah, THAT.
A few months ago, I was working through Growing Together by Melissa Kruger with some other women from church with the intention of starting a discipleship ministry. The book was an enjoyable yet convicting read, but one chapter in particular rocked me to my core. It was about family and friend relationships and how to love our neighbors. One of the discussion questions at the end of the chapter asked about some of the most significant relationships in my life currently. Oh, this was easy! I cheerfully jotted the names of my closest friends and family members in the margins of my book. Significant? Of course they are!
But it was a follow-up question that really shook me and shattered my previously smug answer. Are you struggling to forgive someone in your life, or someone whose wrongs you’re keeping a record of? What is keeping you from forgiving?
Oh. I think I misunderstood the significance of the word SIGNIFICANT in that first question!
Because, just maybe, Mrs. Kruger was referring to the people in my life who are significantly difficult to love. Maybe it was too much of a Sunday School answer to rattle off the names of my favorite people, especially the ones who unequivocally love me back. Her second, searingly pointed question felt like a hot poker in my ribs. Yes, there was someone like that in my life. This person’s presence looms large, as someone who is definitely significant, but not in the way I was thinking. Someone whose life choices sent ripples of destruction through our church and our friend group. This person is the epitome of someone who is difficult to love. And yes, I’ve kept a record of wrongs. And no, I have not forgiven.
Now, before we go all roly-poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble down a theological rabbit hole about whether or not you can forgive someone who has not repented (this person most certainly has not shown any semblance of repentance), I will get directly to my point. I am in the wrong. Yes, I said the quiet, embarrassing part out loud.
In Luke 6, Jesus tells us that we need to love our enemies. If you’re squirming a little right now, it’s okay. So am I. The reality is that it’s easy to love my best friends. It’s oh-so-satisfying to love the people who think just like me or act just like me. But the real rub comes when I can take that a step beyond and love the people who frustrate me or hurt me. Jesus has enabled me to view them through His lens of mercy and grace. The very last line in this passage says to “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful”. Ouch. I know that my heavenly Father surely has shown me A LOT of mercy.
I’ve tried to run away from this brutal truth. I’ve tried to excuse it, justify it, and rationalize it. But Jesus’ words are direct and clear, and there’s no wiggle room to accommodate my discomfort. And trust me, I am uncomfortable. But I am a follower of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit indwells me; therefore, I am compelled and equipped to do what He’s asking.
A minute ago, I told you that this one wasn’t neatly packaged. The topic of unforgiveness is raw and real (and current) for me, and I’m sharing it because this might resonate with you, too. Do you have someone like this person in your life? Someone who isn’t just going to evaporate or disappear, but instead constantly confronts and challenges you to put feet to your faith and work out your salvation? Do you need to take a harder and closer look in the mirror to see where you’ve secretly dismissed yourself from what Jesus requires in our passage in Luke?
It’s okay. I’m right there with you. But God is faithful and steadfast and promises to go before us to make a way. I’m counting on that.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
I have one word for you today: sanctification. That’s the lifelong process of being made holy and becoming more like Jesus. And the fact that it’s a lifelong journey, and not a one-time destination, is the most encouraging word to my heart today as I wrestle through this devotional. I don’t have to have it all figured out at once. But I’m submitted to the process of the Father gently stripping away years of sinful thought patterns. Thankfully, He is gentle and kind, and His compassion never fails.
PRAYER
Father, loving our enemies sometimes feels too difficult. Open our eyes to see our sin, pierce our hearts, and soften them. Shape us to be more Christ-like in how we administer mercy and grace abundantly. Help us to love others in the freedom that only You can give.
Christa has been married to Greg for 25 years, and they have one son, Palmer, who is a junior in college. She loves women’s ministry, teaching art to homeschooled children, and whipping up fantastic recipes in her kitchen. If she could pack up her church family and move to coastal South Carolina… she’d do it in a heartbeat.
Are there other women in your life who could benefit from a daily dose of encouragement? Forward this email so they can click on this link to Subscribe to Daily Treasure to be better equipped to walk by faith on the pathway God has marked out for them.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
