Love your own enemies

[miriam40012]

It's easy to love our friends, but much harder to love those who hate us.



"Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good" :)

 

[KingJ]

Loving enemies is probably the hardest thing for a Christian to do.

Do unto your enemy as you would like done unto you.

I can't help thinking about Oscar Pretorious. Punishment / prison sentence is a fair expectation for a crime. There is no lack of love in sentencing your enemy to prison. It is protecting others. Loving him for Reeva's family would be along the lines of....checking up on him and making sure he is well fed and looked after?
+ forgiving him?

 

[HammerStone]

A good pastor made the remark that the Bible inverts the evil with good. In the case of the Roman soldier compelling one to travel a mile (Matthew 5:41), the command for us as Christians is to walk two. It sounds defiant, and it is, but it also served the purpose of flipping the situation on the soldier. The soldier would have broken Roman law if the person went two miles instead of one mile.

Not much would be accomplished should we just whine about it or start up a protest rally.

 

[heretoeternity]

Romans 12 Paul also said, "if your enemy is hungry feed him, if he is thirsty give him water"

 

[Raeneske]

Treat your enemies the way Christ would treat His.

 

[Dan57]

God corrects those He loves, so perhaps the command to love our enemies means that we should correct them? And just a thought; If a child of God prays for their enemies, the result of that prayer may not be such a pleasing thing for their enemies? "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head" (Romans 12:20). "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)

 

[Enquirer]

Loving enemies is probably the hardest thing for a Christian to do.

Do unto your enemy as you would like done unto you.

I can't help thinking about Oscar Pretorious. Punishment / prison sentence is a fair expectation for a crime. There is no lack of love in sentencing your enemy to prison. It is protecting others. Loving him for Reeva's family would be along the lines of....checking up on him and making sure he is well fed and looked after?
+ forgiving him?

As I sat watching his sentencing I was in a real turmoil ... should he sit for 10+ years or should he be set free ? ... What would Jesus do, kind of sounds
like a cliché ... hmmm yes but what about the woman caught in adultery ?
So I had a conversation with the Lord (in my head) ;)


Hi there Lord could you please help me on this one, what should the judge have done with Oscar, you know the "Blade Runner guy who shot his girlfriend ?

"What do you mean, what should the judge have done" ?

Should she have let him go or sentenced him to prison?

"That was her choice"

What about the woman caught in adultery Lord, you set her free wasn't she guilty ?

"Yes she was guilty but go back and read the passage again, I never set her free"

Huh, are you sure ?

"Did you read the passage like I instructed you son" ?

Sorry Jesus, let me check it out again ... tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock ... ok I'm back.

"So who set her free, son" ?

The people in authority, the judges set her free.

"Was it their God ordained right to judge her, pronounce sentence and carry it out or set her free if they chose" ?

Yes Lord it was their right to do those things.

"So what part did I play in that scenario" ?

You were her Advocate before the court so to speak.

"That's correct, and are you not glad that I'm your Advocate before the Father as well" ?

Halleluiah, you bet Jesus ... whooo yeah, thanks Lord, you're really good man, uh I mean Lord.

"So do you think I would let Oscar go free or do you think I would judge him" ?

I don't think you would do anything Lord, you have given that right to Mankind to judge amongst ourselves.

"That is correct"

But what about the sentence Lord, don't you think it was too light, are you going to get him one day, you know like with all the others like Hitler etc. ?

"The sentence was correct in the eyes of the judge ... and Son"

Yes Lord ?

"Look to yourself and mind your own business"

Sorry Lord.


We cry for justice, judgement and execution but God wants us, expects us to show mercy to our enemies.