Love Your Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best–the sun to warm and the rain to nourish–to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

Loving our enemies is recovery progress. That doesn’t mean we have to like them or approve of their begaviour. it does mean we have to love them the way that God loved us (while we were still sinners) Anger and resentment are recovery killers and stunt our spiritual grwoth in recovery. The only person those emotions hurt is us. So we need to grow up (mature) if we want to truly live the lives God has planned for us and e the people He created us to be.

Recovery is not about living a perfect life (we are only human) but it is about following God and allowing Him to shape our character so we can make the right life choices according to His will for us.

Prayer: Lord help me today o accept eberyone for who they are.Remove any anger, resentment of ill feeling towards others I may be holding onto today.