Hate thine enemy.
Hate definition--
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μισέω
miseō
mis-eh'-o
From a primary word μῖσος misos (hatred); to detest (especially to persecute); by extension to love less: - hate (-ful).
Hate- to detest, to persecute, to love less.
We have no doubt what loving our neighbor means- not really, right? Loving others- treating them with respect, forgiving them any ill will, tending to their needs, revealing the love of Jesus to them. When Jesus says that is has been said - thou shalt love they neighbor there is no mistake about where that comes from.
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Thy neighbor here meaning - children of thy people- those children being members of the family of Israel.
It was said in times past to LOVE thy neighbor - those who were of your own people. This is why the question had to be asked--
Luk 10:29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Who is my neighbor? This is a very valid question and one that needed clarification because based on the old ways that were twisted and warped into anything but love- a neighbor was those of your own people, it wasn't a non-Jew. To clarify what a neighbor really meant Jesus gave this little, but very powerful story-
Luk 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Luk 10:31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
Luk 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Luk 10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Luk 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
Luk 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Which of the men was a neighbor to the wounded? The priest, a Jew? No. The Levite, a Jew? No. A Samaritan, one the Jews had NO dealings with? YES! The wounded man was obviously a Jew- coming down from Jerusalem and going to Jericho and the priest and the Levite just passed him by leaving him for dead- a fellowman- one of their own people. Then a Samaritan, one that had NOTHING to do with the Jews saw the wounded man and showed Him compassion. This is truly telling in so many ways!
It doesn't matter if the fellow human being is a hated foe and rightly so- when they're in need you help. Where compassion is needed- it should be shown.
When we show compassion, when we show love we reveal Christ in us. Undeserved love!
Our entire existence is not about you and I as individually being important. Our entire existence is about our Creator, without our Creator we would NOT exist. Man has forgotten this, man has chosen to ignore this, man has taken credit for something they can never take credit for. Man has talked themselves out of believing in the ONLY truth that matters. GOD!
As long as we are more concerned with ourselves, the more our minds are solely focused on self and others as extensions of ourselves, and taken off God we lose the whole reason for our existence. When we lose that reason for our existence we try to fill it with all sorts of things that Satan has handily made available to keep us blinded.
Christ in us is all that matters. By having Christ in us we acknowledge fully that God the Father and God the Word created us, we are theirs, we belong to them- we belong to the oneness that is shared by God our Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit- we are one with them in purpose, in life, in love.
As being one in purpose with Jesus we want to emulate Him- emulate the perfection He is as God who became man. Jesus wants us to learn from Him and He is teaching us that we are NOT the center of our existence. That ALL mankind has been created, ALL mankind - those of our own families, those of our own people, those who aren't of our people, those who are our enemies (by definition not those of our people), those who persecute us, curse us, revile us- they are ALL creatures created by our Creator and because they are ALL created they ALL deserve to find life in the sacrifice of God who became man- God with us, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
Love your enemies.
God loves His enemies- we have all gone astray.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Bless them that curse you.
God blesses those that curse Him.
Do good to them that hate you.
God does good to them that hate Him- by the very act of salvation this is proven, by the opportunity of repentance this proven.
Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
God does this.
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Be God's.
Reveal God.
Show a living example of a forgiven child of the king to the entire world, to ALL- friend or foe- to all of those you come in contact with.
We ARE children of GOD, we need to BE children of GOD in ALL we do.
We are not to be taken out of this world and all it's horrors of sin and the unrepentant sinful.
Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
We are to be kept from evil. We are to be kept from leaving our God and becoming one with the world for that is true evil- being God-less.
*******
Empty Me- Jeremy Camp
Holy Fire burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me.
Holy Fire burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me,
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah,
Fill, won't you fill me,
With you, with you, yeah.
Holy Fire, burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah.
Fill, won't you fill me, with you, with you, empty me now.
Well won't you empty me, well won't you empty me now. repeat x2
I want more, I want more, I want more of you, Jesus.
I want more, I want more, oh.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, oh yeah,
Thank you, Jesus, yeah.
Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire.
Pasted from
*******
By the grace and mercy of our loving Savior, now and forever!
Amen.
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