Love Your Enemies - Love One Another

Jesus' words from The Sermon on the Mount...
You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus may have been referring to the law as recorded in Leviticus concerning treatment neighbors (fellow Israelites)...and enemies.
  - Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:17-18
Additionally,we see this reoccurrence of disobedience towards our Heavenly Father.
    - Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors? Malachi 2:10

Love one another--even in our differences. 

Jesus was giving a new teaching--love your enemies. That was NOT an Old Testament teaching. It goes beyond the "love your neighbor as yourself" instruction. Listen up. New information. Apply that to your life. Who are your"enemies"? Can you love them?

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus...Thank You for this lesson and Your guidance that all our actions should be loving--going beyond what is expected even of the pagans. How can we just love those who love us? We love and praise You--because You first loved us. Love has to flow into us...before we can love others. Let it be.

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 16-18

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© 2018 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

GqqqAll scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted

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