Powerful Love

 Matthew 5-7

“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Matthew 5:44, 45

Why would God want us to love and bless our enemies?

Loving our enemies is one of the ways God uses us as ambassadors of reconciliation. The reality that we are a new creation in Christ, filled with the presence of God and carrying his DNA, is evidenced  by our love for enemies. Loving our enemies is heaven’s paternity test. We evidence who our Father is through how we respond to enemies who oppose us in our witness for Christ, our cultural background, or for any other reason. We pray for our enemies because our Father wants to heal them, forgive them, and free them from all bondage and fear.

How many enemies of the Church and the Gospel are waiting to experience the love of God so they, like Paul, can be transformed into ambassadors of Christ?

There are rewards and powerful stories of God’s grace and power for those who, like our heavenly Father, love their enemies.

“Father God, fill me with your power and love for those who oppose your Gospel – and me, for your glory.”