Luke 6:27-36
“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate
you,Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.And
unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that
taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.Give to every man that
asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And
as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.For if ye
love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that
love them.And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?
for sinners also do even the same.And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to
receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as
much again.But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the
Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.Be ye therefore
merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
Truth is, it is very difficult to love your enemy, but we are told that it will be well for us to do so. Loving your enemy sounds foreign to the unsaved, or even to a baby Christian. When someone does you wrong the first reaction is to get even. We want them to be as miserable as we are. Most of the time, the people who did you wrong never think about what they have done. This means that you are the only one that is miserable.
Knowing when to let go,can save you months,or even years of frustration and depression. It's one thing when your enemy does you wrong, but when a friend does it, it can be devastating to your spiritual being and even your physical being.
Truth is, it is very difficult to love your enemy, but we are told that it will be well for us to do so. Loving your enemy sounds foreign to the unsaved, or even to a baby Christian. When someone does you wrong the first reaction is to get even. We want them to be as miserable as we are. Most of the time, the people who did you wrong never think about what they have done. This means that you are the only one that is miserable.
Knowing when to let go,can save you months,or even years of frustration and depression. It's one thing when your enemy does you wrong, but when a friend does it, it can be devastating to your spiritual being and even your physical being.
This happened to me back in the 90’s. My friends accused
me of something that I didn't do and it truly hurt me. It felt like someone had
kicked me in the stomach. My emotions were running wild. I didn't hate them,
but I could not stand seeing them. I was being filled with grief and stress, which
was eating at my very soul. I will say that was the worse time of my life.
Being abandoned by friends will take a toll on your life.
My wife was very understanding and kept praying that I could somehow let go of the situation. She endured a year of my pouting and self-pity, and never once gave up on me. She reminded me that I wasn't the only one that had been hurt. She too had been affected by our friends. The only difference was that she forgave them before it became a spiritual cancer.
Finally, one morning I decided that I had enough of being miserable. I asked the Lord to forgive me, and I did let go of the chains of self-pity and disdain that I had for my friends.When I had a chance, I asked for their forgiveness for feeling the way I did. They also asked for my forgiveness for accusing me of something that I had not done.
Holding a grudge can make you spiritually sick, as well as physically sick.You will lose hours of sleep, become depressed and unpleasant to be around. I had become my own worst enemy. I did not recognize the person that I had become.
My wife was very understanding and kept praying that I could somehow let go of the situation. She endured a year of my pouting and self-pity, and never once gave up on me. She reminded me that I wasn't the only one that had been hurt. She too had been affected by our friends. The only difference was that she forgave them before it became a spiritual cancer.
Finally, one morning I decided that I had enough of being miserable. I asked the Lord to forgive me, and I did let go of the chains of self-pity and disdain that I had for my friends.When I had a chance, I asked for their forgiveness for feeling the way I did. They also asked for my forgiveness for accusing me of something that I had not done.
Holding a grudge can make you spiritually sick, as well as physically sick.You will lose hours of sleep, become depressed and unpleasant to be around. I had become my own worst enemy. I did not recognize the person that I had become.
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