LOVE: PRAYING AND BLESSING AN ENEMY

Matthew 5:43-48 >>

Teaching about Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

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1. Some tips Jesus gave us on how to treat our ‘enemy/enemies,’ which may be people who do not like us and/or people we do not like are

to love them, pray for them, and be kind to them. This, then, is imitating the character of our Father in Heaven, for He gives His “sunlight to both the (good) and the (evil)(v.45).”

2. Self reflection: There are people that I don’t like and/or people that don’t like me. The reason for that dislike is I believe a clash in personalities. When I meet this person or these people, I feel uncomfortable and like they are standoffish to me. And what I’m thinking about when I meet them is how unpleasant it is, lol. I know it’s terrible, and I want to act as God wants me to. I want to practice praying for them and sincerely being kind to them and doing good towards them, not just putting on a kindness mask when inside I don’t like them at all.

Love = Forgiveness

2 John 1:6-10 >>

6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

7Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.r give any kind of encouragement.

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1. According to the verses above, what stands out the most from Jesus’ teachings is doing what God commanded us, including to forgive others, as well as everything else He commands us.

2. An antichrist is able to deceive someone, denying Jesus Chrst came in a real body, when believers are not on guard and encourages someone who is not teaching the truth about Christ, so that people can get confused.

3. I can continually live in Christ’s teaching of love by not always focusing on being “nice.” There are times where tough love IS love, and being “nice” is not loving for the general good.