Tag Archives: love your enemies

For Those Who Mistreat You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Prayer - Luke 6:27-31 - For Those Who Mistreat You - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Prayer – Luke 6:27-31 – For Those Who Mistreat You – Growing As Disciples

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:27-31 (NIV)

My Enemies

I hear you. I’m listen carefully to you. My eyes and ears and heart and mind and life are focused on you. You have my full attention. I am following your example. How so? How are you following my example? What example of mine do you now have in your heart and mind? What example of mine do you want to put into practice in your life? I know that you love me. That is very obvious. You came into this world for me. You gave your life as a payment for my sin. You died on the cross so that I could be forgiven and cleansed of all my unrighteousness. How did I respond to your love? I was disinterested. How did I receive the gift that you made available to me? I ignored it. I rejected it. I was sure that I didn’t need or want it. I walked on a path that led away from you. I lived a life of sin and darkness. I did what I wanted when I wanted it. I lived solely for my comfort and pleasure. I did whatever I felt like doing. I firmly rejected the new life that you wanted to give to me. Beyond that, I lived as your enemy. Need I say more about myself? No, you need say no more about yourself. But, you would not let me go. Your love pursued me. Your love surrounded me. You showed me your kindness, mercy and love. No doubt, you prayed for me as I lived as your enemy. I did not deserve your kindness and mercy and love. I did nothing to merit your forgiveness and cleansing. Yet, you kept on loving me. You kept on doing good things for me. Your love drew me back to you. Your love made me able to accept the new life that you wanted to give to me. Your love made me able to receive your forgiveness and cleansing. Your love adopted me into your family. You are my God and father. I am your child. Yes, you are.

This is the example that you have set before me. You loved me as I lived as one of your enemies. Yes, I did. You want me to become like you. Yes, I do. You want me to love my enemies. You want me to do good things and pray for those who have hurt and mistreated me. Yes, I do. You want me to shine brightly as a bold witness for you in the world. Yes, I do. You want others to see your love and life being lived out in and through me. Yes, I do. Will you love others just as I have loved you? Will you pray for your enemies? Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good. Then you will be my bright and bold witness in the world. 

Lord, you showed your love to me when I was one of your enemies. You have given me an example to follow. I will love my enemies. I will do good things for those who have hurt and mistreated me. Help me to shine brightly as a bold witness for you in the world. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Prayer – Luke 6-27-31 – For Those Who Mistreat You – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

For Those Who Persecute You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide- Prayer - Matthew 5:43-44 - For Those Who Persecute You - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Prayer – Matthew 5:43-44 – For Those Who Persecute You – Growing As Disciples

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)

Enemies

If you had asked me, I would have said that I did not have any enemies. It certainly is my goal to not have any enemies. I don’t want to regard anyone as my enemy. I don’t want to harbor anything against anyone. I want to love everyone. I want to serve everyone. I want to pray for everyone. Those are all good desires. Do you know that I also had all those desires in my heart? I am certain of that it was your desire to love, serve and pray for all your enemies. That’s right. But, what makes you so certain that I wanted to love, serve and pray for all my enemies? Beyond, what you have said in your word? Yes, beyond what you can read in my word. The desires of my heart come from you. It is only because I have drawn near to you and as I am coming to know you, that these thoughts have become the desires of my heart. Prior to coming to know you, I was certain that I had enemies. Prior to coming to know you, I wanted to get revenge against every one of my enemies. I hated my enemies. I wanted to pay each one of them back with the same evil that they committed against me. You can be sure, that in those days, I kept a close score and a precise recall of everyone who had harmed and hurt me. That’s not good. I know.

I did have enemies, you know that? Yes, I know that you had many enemies. At times, it must have seemed like the whole world was against you. Yes, it did. Why do you think I had enemies? You were in this world. You were not of this world. You lived a righteous life in an evil world. Evil hates good. Darkness hates light. Lies hate the truth. The world is everything you were not. The world rejected you, your words and your deeds. Yes, it did. As you become more and more like me, do not be surprised when the world hates and rejects you. Don’t wonder how or why you could possibly have any enemies. I won’t. 

What will you do when you recognize that you do have enemies? I will do what you did. What did I do? You loved your enemies. You went out of your way to serve your enemies. You prayed for your enemies. You laid down your life for your enemies. You made it so your enemies could one day come to you, to be your friends and followers. Yes, I did. I was once one of your enemies. Yes, you were. You loved and prayed for me, so I could come to you. Yes, I did. I will love and pray for my enemies, so that they can also, one day, come to you. That will be very good.

Lord, I didn’t think I had any enemies. Now, I know that I have enemies. Help me to know how to love my enemies. Show me how I can pray for my enemies. Help me to be your witness in the world. Help me turn my enemies into your and my close friends. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Prayer – Matthew 5-43-44 – For Those Who Persecute You – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com