The Jesus Way: Day 4 The WAY of Forgiveness - Pastor Kerry Shook

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.’ But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that.  And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don’t know God are nice to their friends. So you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  
Matthew 5:43-48 (NCV) 

If we walk in The Jesus Way, we’ll see that Christ asks us to do things at times that don’t make sense, but are for our best. One of the greatest descriptions of The Jesus Way is found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7. In the first 12 verses, Jesus describes what a blessed life looks like and what a contrast it is to how we usually view life!  Perhaps the most challenging is found in the closing verses of Matthew 5 - how to respond The Jesus Way when someone hurts you.  It’s the polar opposite to our human nature. In verses 43 to 48, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.’ But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. Consider this for a moment in your own life and relationships. How would the Jesus Way transform the way you respond to others?

Jesus says the best way to avoid bitterness when you’ve been mistreated, exploited, or falsely accused is to pray for those who hurt you. The world says love your friends - not your enemies, but Jesus gave us a higher command. His law of love includes loving our enemies. How do you do that?

The first step in loving your enemies, Jesus tells us, is to pray for those who hurt you. Do you do that? Initially, I find that really challenging, depending on how badly I’ve been hurt. My flesh wants to get mad, or worse, get even. But Jesus’ higher law of love is an act of the will, and not simply an emotion. Loving your enemies is an expression of Christ’s love for us. After all, God loved us when we were enemies of His. In Romans 5:10 (NIV), the Bible tells us, “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”  

When we choose to pray for our enemies, we are responding like Jesus, and God blesses us.

Bitterness blocks the blessings of God, but forgiveness unlocks God’s blessings in our lives. Still, you may be wondering how do I love like that? It begins in prayer. Let the hurt you feel drive you to pray. Be honest about your emotions with God. He cares about how you feel. Something miraculous happens when we pray with such honesty about those who have hurt us. God begins to heal our broken hearts. Prayer takes the venom out of our attitudes. We don’t have to remain the victim even after we’ve been victimized. Through Christ, we have been given the victory! The Cross has broken the power of sin and enables us to love our enemies.

Jesus said this kind of love is a mark of maturity, proving that we are legitimate children of our Heavenly Father. It also sets us apart from the world around us and promises an eternal reward! Perhaps today’s passage on The Jesus Way has struck a chord in your heart. You’ve been wounded. Maybe it was long ago, or just recently, and try as you may, the pain won’t go away. Take a moment right now and share that with God in prayer. Tell Him how you feel and begin to pray for those who hurt you. Release them to God and ask Him to help you love them as He loves you. 

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To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.