Someone once remarked that it’s harder to hate a person than to love someone.
Because hate requires you to constantly expend energy directing anger and disgust at the subject. When you hate a person, you find ways to make the person’s life miserable, and this can sap your energy that might have been better spent on doing more constructive things for yourself and others around you.
In other words, hate is a destructive form of energy.
Today we find it easy to hate someone or an ideology or a group of people without giving it any second thought, but find it difficult to bring ourselves to lay down that burden that hate is and show them love.
Our human nature tells us to hit back at whoever is hitting us, and to hate with equal force those that have made themselves our enemies.
Yet our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to love our enemies — a teaching no doubt many of us sometimes find hard to follow because of our inherent human nature.
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 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 6:27-36
So who are our enemies?
Our Lord Jesus Christ says that these are those that curse us, hate us, despitefully use us, and persecute us.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Matthew 5:44
What a long list, isn’t it? And how might it be actually possible to love, bless and pray for those who are so unkind towards us?
Little do we realize that Christ Jesus led by the perfect example and loved those that precisely did these things to Him during His ministry on earth. Recall the Pharisees and Sadducees who hated and persecuted Him, plotted and seek His demise.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit
1 Peter 3:18
Christ’s love is the perfect love of God, for He came to die for both the just and the unjust, for those who are for Him and those who are against Him, for those who bless Him and those who seek to destroy Him, so that all might be brought to God.
For God desires that none might perish and all come unto repentance.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
And so it is for us that this teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ is for us as Christians to love those who hate us as God loves those who turn against Him.
There’s only one way you can achieve this: you have to be born again, for when we are born again, we no longer are our old selves, but made anew through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
For only when we are truly reborn in Christ Jesus, then shall one have the capability to experience the light of God’s glory, and be one that’s truly after the heart of God our Father and learn to love those who are our enemies as God shows mercy on all; for God our Father causes the sun to rise and shine on even those that curse and deny Him.
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:45
Shalom Aleichem.
Photo by who.log.why.
Tags: Born Again, Hate, Love
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I like this post very much! It is amazing looking at all of those verses in one place - a true blueprint for living. I printed myself a copy : )
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Wow, Isaiah, this one really convicted me. Mr. Free has a friend who has never been anything but nice to me, yet I don’t care very much for him, nor do I care to be around him. He’s not an enemy, per se, but I realize I’ve been sitting in judgment of his character, which really isn’t my judgment to make. Reading in Luke 6:35 and 36 that He is kind to the unthankful and the evil and that I am to be merciful as He is, really hits home.
I needed to hear this. Bless Elohim for bringing this through you.
~Free
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I think that we all struggle with this emotion at one time or another. Sometimes my first impulse of my flesh is to dislike or judge, I really do not have a hatred problem. However, I find that the word of God (which is the Holy Spirit) convicts me, causing me to repent and obey. But, the more of the Word that lives in you the easier it gets
This post is very timely and thought provoking.
Peace to you
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Dear Shalene:
Thank you very much!
Dear Michelle:I am really happy you found the post helpful. I personally thought it was a little short, but I didn’t want it to get too long either.
God bless both of you!
Shabbat Shalom.
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Dear Sister Free:
Hallelujah!
You know, the truth be told, the topic for this post actually weighed on my mind for a few days during the week before I decided that I had to write it. I felt unqualified to write it because I have never been able to do just what our Lord Jesus Christ taught. There are people I still find very very difficult to forgive, much less love, bless and pray for them?
So I really pondered if I really could go ahead to write a post like this with the log in my own eyes.
Yet the compulsion became too strong, and I had to write it before I had peace of mind.
I am glad that it helped you as it did me!
God bless!
Shabbat Shalom.
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Dear Sister King’s Kid:
That is so very true.
Very often we do make snap judgments about people without even having the chance to get to know them well. I am like that much of the time, but today I try very much to refrain from doing so and to see them as God sees me, you, and everyone around — as humans and with love.
God bless!
Shabbat Shalom.
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I cannot stress enough the importance of prayer and staying close to the Lord when you feel this way. In my experience, you cannot just love that person after they do something horrible to you initially. You cannot just forgive that person on the spot. We have feelings and emotions that are triggered by outside influences (good or bad) and we react accordingly without trying. (not by action but by emotion) As soon as someone says something to you, an emotion is triggered - either good or bad.
Now…if you feel like retaliating, then THAT’S when you absolutely need to step away from the computer, or that person and pray that the Lord take away your vengeful heart (if you have one), take away your anger and hatred and replace it with agape love, ask for His help with your heart and your tongue when dealing with this person or people in general. To react harshly is natural, but to react in love is supernatural and that only comes from God.
I went through a ongoing trial like none other these past couple of years. I was dealing with “Christians” who were lieing, scheming, setting people up, slandering, character assasination, accusing people of crimes, gossiping and turning people against others, bearing false witness and a whole slew of ugly, horrible things. This went on for years - these people were lacking fruit and causing trouble constantly. I did not have it in me to love them - I could not. I despised their very being. I prayed and prayed and prayed some more and the Lord got me through it. It was gruelling! I had to remove myself (physically) and spend time with Him until I calmed down and was able to respond in a Christ-like manner. It was one of the hardest things I had to do because it was constant - no relief - I mean every single day!
We can love our enemies but only through Christ. (you all know this - I just like to type)
Thank you for this post - just wonderful!!!! -
I figured this out a long time ago, Carol, and it my help others. God says Vengence is Mine! He also says pray for those who abuse and mistreat others. I figured out why
They are going to need prayer because they have messed with the King’s Kid. LOLGod repays much better than I.
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Although I’m not a Christian, there have always been Christian philosophy that I’ve come to deeply respect of which this is certainly one.
Repaying those who did you wrong with kindness must be one of the most insanely hard things to do. This teaching has also resonated in other major religions of the world in their own forms. Even pop culture borrows this wisdom (read: Jedi Code!) Hatred truly leads only to more suffering. Someone has to break the viscious cycle.
I may not be able to love my enemies. Blind rage fires up rather imaginative ways for revenge. But I shall try to retract the hatred I feel. I hope it’s a good starting point on a long road to be a better human being.
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