Opening Prayer
Lord, now we pray again: Grant us Your love in our hearts. Amen.
Text: Matthew 5:43-48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Devotion
Jesus says we should love our enemies, and so His Christians must do it. What His Word commands, it also gives the power to do. If you do not love your enemy, then you are not Jesus’ disciple and must not call yourself by His name. – A life of love in the heart shows itself in works of love. You do not truly love unless both heart and hand are together in it. A good intention which dies without fruit is no good, and a good work which does not come from the heart is empty and worthless. With Jesus and His people there is truth in everything, truth in the heart, and truth in works. When He says: “Love,” He means a living love. Then He adds: “Bless those who curse you.” Share heavenly good things with them in words of blessing, when they with wicked heart and evil words raise up evil from hell against you. “Do good to those who hate you.” Mind, body, and hand should do good to those who willingly do evil to you. “Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Intercede for them, just as Jesus did on the cross. Speak with your heavenly Father about them, and receive from Him grace and peace for them, so that you can be gathered together with them in heaven. Do good with equally willing heart toward the evil and good, toward enemies and friends. “God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Here they all stand side by side and many are first and many are last. When what we do toward the children of God receives a special promise as being done to the Lord Himself and remembered in heaven (Mat 25:40; Luk 16:9; 1Ti 6:17-19), then this applies to works done with the same attitude as the Lord, who loves all and blesses all, who has mercy on the evil and the good and does not think about reward.
Closing Prayer
Only the children of God, who know the Father’s love, can love their enemies. But it is equally true that only those who do this know the love of the heavenly Father and become His children. My soul, obey Jesus’ words, so that the impossible might become possible, and every difficulty might be made clear. – Lord God, heavenly Father, give us Your Holy Spirit, and make us perfect, as You are perfect. You see that we are still far from it. Have mercy on us, and pour out Your love into our hearts for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Hymn
When we with God-enlightened mind
Behold our Lord’s compassion kind,
Who prayed e’en for His enemies
Who stood and laughed at His decease;
When we consider all the pain
Our Shepherd suffered for our gain,
Before from death He rescued us,
How hard and long He looked for us;
When we regard our heart within
And see the heavy weight of sin
That God forgave for Jesus’ sake,
Whose blood did full atonement make;
When God the Spirit does bestow
The spark within our soul to know
The strongest fire of charity,
Then we may love our enemy.
Brorson: Skal Kjærlighed sin Prøve staa L 516:8-11 tr. DeGarmeaux;
tune: Herr Jesu Christ, dich (ELH 23); alternate hymn: Love divine, all love excelling ELH 407:4