>>>
Matthew 5:44 - Loving Your Enemies. [addendum]

Matthew 5:44 - Loving Your Enemies.  [addendum]

Matthew 5:44 (NIV) But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray 
for those who persecute you, 

  There are times when others will misunderstand, mistreat, or 
persecute us, and it's hard not to respond to such treatment by 
retaliating or rejecting those who act that way toward us. That would be the 
way the unredeemed world naturally reacts. But Jesus says in these 
verses that we are to offer a radically different response: we are to 
love and pray for our enemies; in other words, we are to respond with 
the energy of prayer instead of the energy of hate. 
  This approach upholds a basic foundation of our faith - that 
God is love, that his love is for all people, whether friend or foe 
toward us, and that he desires that not one would perish but that all 
would come to eternal life. When we pray for our enemies, we are not 
only partnering with Christ in his redemptive purposes but also 
becoming more like our Father in heaven. Ask God to give you a specific 
Scripture verse to pray for your "enemies" whenever they come to mind. 
Instead of dwelling on a negative thought about them, displace the 
negative thought. Praying God's heart for someone will soon produce a 
reflection of his love in your own. [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller re 
Mat. 5:43-45] 

Special Selected Brief Video Commentary On This Text:

http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/episode/2007/11/15