(Reading Bible verses about anxiety, Bible verses about worry, Bible verses about courage, and-if you or a loved one is facing a serious illness- Bible verses about death can be of comfort too.) After reflecting on these passages, you may find that the winds have calmed and the clouds have parted. These Bible verses about fear can provide an anchor to hold you fast as you weather the storm. While fear is a common human experience, the Scripture's promise that God walks with the faithful at all times has heartened us to overcome our fears through the ages: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). When we close our eyes for a night’s sleep, our minds may begin turning over a million what-ifs about tomorrow, filling us with anxiety about circumstances beyond our control. We might fear losing someone dear to us, or worry about our future or our children’s.
#Love your enemies bible verse nkjv windows#
Fear does, after all, have a way of creeping in on us, though we may close the windows tight and double check the doors. What is impossible for man becomes possible for those who give their lives to Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts.It is no wonder that the message to “Fear not…” appears so frequently in the Bible. (44) But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse. That which God demands, only He can accomplish, including the demand to love our enemies. (43) You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
So how can Jesus demand the impossible? He later tells us, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
This unattainable standard is exactly what the Law itself demanded (James 2:10). This is utterly impossible for sinful man to achieve. As sons of our Father (Matthew 5:45), we are to be perfect, even as He is perfect. It’s only through the power of God’s Spirit that His people can truly love and pray for those who intend to do them harm (Romans 12:14-21).įinally, after giving us the admonition to love our enemies, Jesus then gives us this command: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Jesus is teaching us that we must live by a higher standard than what the world expects-a standard that is impossible for us to attain by our own efforts. His disciples then must reflect His character and exhibit this same undiscriminating love for both friends and enemies. If you love your enemies and “pray for those who persecute you,” you then truly reveal that Jesus is Lord of your life.īy using an illustration of the sun rising and the rain falling on both the good and the evil, Jesus shows God’s undiscriminating love to all people. Here Jesus taught that His followers must demonstrate love to all kinds of people-no matter what faith, nationality, or personality-enemies included. New American Standard Bible bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you. New King James Version bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. King James Bible Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Jesus then told the Parable of the Good Samaritan. bless those cursing you, pray for those mistreating you. A Pharisee once asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Jesus explained to His followers that they should adhere to the real meaning of God’s law by loving their enemies as well as their neighbors. Then He commands us to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48). Jesus goes on to explain that loving those who love us is easy and even unbelievers can do that. But Jesus replaced this idea with an even higher standard: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45). While no Bible verse explicitly says “hate your enemy,” the Pharisees may have somewhat misapplied some of the Old Testament passages about hatred for God’s enemies (Psalm 139:19-22 140:9-11). That we must therefore hate our enemy was an inference incorrectly drawn from it by the Jews.
He proclaimed to the crowds listening to His Sermon on the Mount that they knew they were to love their neighbor because the command to love our neighbor was a law of God (Leviticus 19:18). When Jesus said we are to love our enemies, He was creating a new standard for relationships.
0 kommentar(er)
