For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” It sounds easy but it isn’t. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Jesus tells us that this is exactly what we must do for those who hate us. What is one of the hardest things for a Christian to do? Pray for those who hate you and despise you and ridicule you for your faith. Paul, as Saul, was an archenemy of the church and was converted on the Damascus Road so even the worst enemies of Christians can become their greatest missionaries. We can’t make someone forgive us but we can live a life that pleases God and pray for the Holy Spirit to convict them. If you feel you’re getting nowhere, then tell them “Thank you for your time” and walk away. Don’t respond in the same way that they talk to you. The Bible teaches us that we are to forgive one another because we’ve been forgiven for so much (Matt 6:14-15 1st John 1:9) so why not try to talk to the person in private and ask them what you might have done to make them become your enemy. The Apostle Peter asks, “who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good” (1st Pet 3:13)? It didn’t matter if it were the Egyptian’s who were harsh slaveholders to Israel because God said that “I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians and when you go, you shall not go empty, (Ex 3:21). Please GodĮvery one of us has enemies, don’t we? Maybe you don’t even know it but if you share the gospel and live a life of holiness, you will probably make enemies but the wisdom of Solomon says that “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov 16:7) so at least part of our effort to make our enemies our friends is to live a life that pleases God and that means a life of obedience to what Jesus’ taught. You wouldn’t wish that on anyone, would you? When people treat you badly because you’re a believer, understand that we were once like they are now and “at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. We might have enemies but think about their fate on the day where Christ judges the world in righteousness (Rev 20:12-15). For those who have repented and trusted in Christ “The LORD will keep you from all evil he will keep your life” (Psalm 121:7). For the children of God, it is written that “No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble” (Prov 12:21). We should remember that at one time we were enemies of God (Rom 5:10) but “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8) and now “we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Rom 5:9).
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