(Prov 25:21 NIV) If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
This morning we get back to our series entitled, “Unlocking the Power of Proverbs – Walking in the Wisdom of God.” In this verse Solomon sounds like Jesus. This verse actually reminds me of the series I taught entitled “Walking in the Love of God.” In that series I broke down 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and from those five verses I taught 20 characteristics of God’s love. The point being that for us to walk in God’s love we must understand what it is. After understanding what God’s love is, I then broke down Luke 6:27-37 and from those 11 verses I taught 17 actions of God’s love; so that we could know what God’s love does. The actions are what God the Father expects of us. Studying what His love is, is one thing, but walking in that love requires faith. If you are interested in Love series you can click here. Here is a list of the 17 actions:
The Actions of Love (from Luke 6:27-37)
1: Love your enemies
2: Overcome Evil with Good
3: Pray for those that give you a hard time
4: Stay consistent while under attack
5: Give to those that want to take
6: Give to the needy
7: Practice Benevolence
8: Practice the Golden Rule
9: Love those who are Hard to Love
10: Help those that cannot return the favor
11: Give for Giving’s Sake
12: Live out your God-created identity
13: Show Mercy
14: Don’t Pick on Others
15: Don’t condemn those who are down
16: Be easy on people
17 : Live to Give – You won’t regret it!
For the purposes of this lesson I will share an excerpt from the message I taught about the first action (Love your enemies). In Luke 6 Jesus was being followed by a great number of disciples. He broke away from the crowd and spent all night praying for direction. The next morning He chose the 12 Apostles out of the crowd. He went on to minister to the crowd, healing the sick and casting out demons. He then began to teach them (verses 20-26). It was after this teaching that Jesus said, “To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies…” It was as if Jesus was saying, “Ok, you guys have seen me minister to the needs of people and heard me teach principles of the Kingdom of God; but if you think you are ready for the next level, you must start by operating in the love of God.” Jesus made it clear from the beginning that Godly love extends beyond human love. Human love loves those that love them back. Human love loves those that are easy to love. Human love is contingent upon circumstances being right, but the love of God empowers us to extend beyond the limitations of human love and to love those that we would never love otherwise.
The word action means the process of doing or performing something. Love is more that just thinking. Love is more than just dreaming. God’s love in us manifests itself in the earth in a tangible form. We must “act out” the love that we profess to possess. Webster says that an enemy is one who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe. Jesus had many enemies while He walked the earth, but their actions against Him and His ministry never stopped Jesus from loving them – flaws and all.
So what does this mean to you today? There will always be people who do not like you and there may even be some that are out-right against you; but do not allow your dislike for the actions of a person to lead to a hatred for the person themselves. Ask God to empower you with His love. Love them enough to earnestly pray for them. Love them enough to want to see God’s best for them. I know this is a hard thing – believe me, I understand – but when you truly love those who are coming against you, you find yourself being transformed into the true image and likeness of Christ.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this Word. You are love and You are in me. Therefore, I declare, by faith, that I have the power to operate in Your love. You empower me to love those I would never be able to love with human ability alone. Your supernatural love changes me from the inside out. Your love is developed in me so strong, that I am able to love those who come up against me, feel hatred towards me, and seek to injure me. I do not repay evil with evil. I overcome evil with good. I overcome hatred with love. I overcome darkness with light! I walk in Your love every day of my life! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
