Matthew 5:43-44, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

 

This is radical talk from the lips of the Lord. Not radical because this was new truth. This truth was radical and still is because it is totally opposed to what is generally accepted. This is why the whole notion of reconciliation has a power unto itself. Out natural inclination is to hate those opposed to us. The Lord calls us to love them, and that is only possible by the Spirit’s enabling power as we seek to obey the Bible. 

“Travis, love your enemies.” What if I don’t feel like it? To be clear, I do have enemies. Everyone does. We all have those who oppose us on some level to some extent. So, what if I don’t feel like loving my enemy? Then fake it until you make it. That does not mean be phony, cynical, or duplicitous. That does mean obey God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength whether you feel like it or not, and do it with a smile instead of through gritted teeth. 

 

When you love your enemies you disarm them. Your enemies know what you are against. Most likely, that is why you are enemies. Be sure that they know what you are for. Better yet, make certain they know Who you are for. As a believer, I am for King Jesus. He is the greatest power on, under, or above earth. Jesus Christ ALONE is able to transform a life and a nation.

The Kingdom of God and all its blessings will not arrive on Air Force One. This is true when the GOP has the White House or when the DNC does. Promises are part and parcel of the politician’s repertoire. Most of those promises are broken. All of them are limited. Nothing is able to bring about the reconciliation, security, happiness, and fulfillment that are offered by left, right, military might, financial clout, promised utopias, stoicism, libertinism, anything and everything else. That is because of what we read in Romans 8:20-21: “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

 

God has built futility into His creation in hope that the creation will turn to Him. That is the only way to turn away from hate and to reconciliation. First with God and then with one another.