The
power of loving your enemies
But love
your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get
anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the
Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. - Luke 6:35
In his book, The Grace
of Giving, Stephen Olford
tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution named Peter Miller who
lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
In the same town also lived an evil-minded man who
did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor whenever he had the chance.
One day, this man was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. So Peter
Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for General
George Washington to spare the life of the traitor.
“No, Peter,” General Washington said. “I cannot
grant you the life of your friend.”
“My friend?” exclaimed the old preacher. “He’s the
bitterest enemy I have!”
“What?” cried Washington. “You’ve walked seventy
miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light.
I’ll grant your pardon.”
Peter Miller took his long-time enemy back home to
Ephrata—but now he was a friend.
So often today, Christians miss out on the
blessings that can come with loving their enemies. They don’t like this or that
group of people because their behavior is sinful, so they treat them as
outcasts. But what if instead of condemning them, we showed them who God is by
loving them despite their actions?
God loved us when we were His enemies. So love
others the same way and just watch how He’ll change lives through you!
Prayer
Challenge
Ask God to show you “enemies” you can love today.
Pray that He would transform their hearts as they see the kind of God you serve