Proverbs 25:19, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”
Some people have the impression that God was “mean” in the Old Testament and “nice” in the New Testament. However, Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Therefore, the same Jesus that said, “love your enemy” in Matthew 5:44 is the same one who inspired King Solomon in the Old Testament to write the above proverb.
God has always been kind to sinners who are His enemies. God said in Ezekiel 33:11. “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” Therefore, as Christ’s followers we shouldn’t treat people the way they treat us, but rather we should treat all people the way we want to be treated.
The same is true with our enemies. If we see them suffering we should offer them our help because it is not right to delight in their suffering. For example, imagine if one of your co-workers who dislikes you forgets their wallet at home. Buy them lunch and say it’s a gift they don’t have to repay. By treating your enemy like this you are showing yourself to be a child of God because God sends rain to both the just and the unjust, Matthew 5:45.
Ofcourse, there are times in which God judges the wicked and commands us to protect the innocent from evildoers, Psalms 2 & Romans 13:1-5. At the same time, the kind of enemy we can love and reach out to are the ones who we share life with and are able to possibly affect for the good.
Therefore, make a decision today to be kind to your enemies as God in times past has been kind to you!
Reflection
Action
- Ask God to show you who are the people in your life that don’t like you.
- Go out of your way to do something nice for them.
- Pray that your act of kindness will be used by God to do something good in their lives.
