What Do You Do More Than Others?

Matthew 5:43-48

What do you do more than others? Jesus wants to know. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus instructs us to do something that goes way beyond the conventional wisdom of the world; He instructs us to love not just those who love us, but to love those who do not, those who we consider enemies. Take a second to think about the Lord’s command. Do you love your enemies? Keep in mind what Jesus is telling us to do is far more than just not hating them, but actually loving them. Biblical love is more than a feeling, it is an act. Jesus sets love in motion by telling us to bless our enemies, pray for them and do good for them (Matt 5:44).

Jesus commands point blank “I say to you, love your enemies,” (Matt 5:44). Why would Jesus require that we love our enemies? The answer is because that is what God does. Our Heavenly Father “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Matt.5:45). In His goodness and love God extends His providence to not only those who trust Him, but to those who oppose Him. God loves His enemies. To make this truth hit home, we must recognize that even those who profess faith in Christ were at one time at odds with God and were His enemies. The truth is that while we were still His enemies Christ died for the ungodly. We were the “ungodly”. So in telling us to love our enemies, Jesus is just instructing us to act in the character and nature of our Heavenly Father. I have heard objections to loving our enemies that sound like “but these people do evil” or “look at what they have done to our country”. To love our enemies does not mean that we have to agree with them or approve of what they do because God doesn’t. It means that we are to love them.  

Brothers and sisters, this is what will set us apart. This is what we do more than others. This is what will winsomely get the attention of a lost and dying world. It is not easy to love one's enemies. In fact, I would argue that it is impossible to love our enemies apart from the grace of God, but that is what makes it such a testimony of God’s power. If you think that loving your enemies is unattainable, confess that to God and pray for His grace. If you think that having any feelings of love towards a particular person is impossible, put Jesus words in practice. Bless them, pray for them, and if you have a chance to, do good for them. It is difficult to pray for someone, to ask God to bless them and do good for them and not wind up with feeling love towards them.