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Day 34

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES!

• JESUS PROMISES MERCY TO THOSE WHO “SHOW MERCY”

GOD’S WORD:  Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. . .  “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

(Luke 6:22, 27-36, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Have I ever felt really “hated” by someone?

2. When were some times I felt “excluded, insulted and rejected” unfairly?

3. When was a time I was “persecuted” just because of my being a Christ-follower in the best way I knew?

4. Was I a child who grew up with “cursing and abusive mistreatment” from my parents or caregivers?

5. How does childhood abuse affect the capacity for adults to “trust and forgive” others?

6. How clearly can I see that the common inclination to “retaliate” is a defining characteristic of fallen humanity?

7. When were some times others have “taken away something valuable” from me?

8. Why is it wrong to “demand what is mine,” especially when others take that away from me?

9. How and why does the “Golden Rule” apply to how I treat others who wrong me?

10. How is it possible to really “love my enemy”?

11. How is it possible and why is it right to give “to beggars with no intention of repayment by them”?

12. What might be some “hidden rewards” for treating others better than they deserve?

13. How does “loving my enemy” qualify me to be a true son of God?

14. How does “showing mercy” qualify me to become most like my Heavenly Father?

15. How do I personally feel about my Lord because I know that “he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked”?

16. What does it mean for me that my Heavenly Father is “merciful” with me?

• LOVE FOR ENEMIES IS “THE MOST CHRISTIAN COMMANDMENT”

GOD’S WORD:    “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ’  And if someone wants to sue you, Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  

 But I tell you: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’” (Matthew 5:44-45, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Does the “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures contradict non-retaliation as a personal lifestyle?

2. What all might be involved in the instruction “Do not resist an evil person and turn the other cheek”?

3. How difficult is it for me to live by this demand of pursuing the “non-violent lifestyle” laid out for true Christ-followers?

4. Is it wrong, under all circumstances, to “refuse to bring lawsuit” against someone who has wronged me?

5. Is it wrong, under all circumstances, to “defend myself against a lawsuit” brought against me?

6. What is the cultural background behind the commandment to “go the second mile?

7. What are some ways I might feel obligated to go one mile but insist upon “going the second mile”?

8. How does my Heavenly Father demonstrate his “love for enemies” and why does he choose to respond in his special way to ungrateful humanity?

9. Under what circumstances will I become “most like my heavenly Father who is perfect”?

• LOVING OUR ENEMY DEMANDS “FORGIVENESS LIKE THE LORD FORGIVES”

GOD’S WORD:  Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.  Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.  “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.  When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’  In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How did the Apostle Peter try to show the depth of his capacity to “forgive a brother who sinned against him”?

2. How did Jesus deal a serious blow to Peter’s willing, but possible “self-righteousness in forgiving others”?

3. How did Jesus illustrate forgiveness with the story of a “king’s forgiveness of a large debt he held for his servants”?

4. How much of the “servant’s debt” did the king choose to forgive in this story?

5. Why would the King “choose to forgive” his servants like this?

6. How do we know the “forgiven servant” failed to properly measure the costliness of his own forgiveness?

7. Why was the “unforgiving approach” with the man who owed him money such a foolish decision even from a business perspective?

8. “How far” does the Lord expect His servants to go in forgiving others who do them serious wrong?

9. How does the Lord feel about his “forgiven servants” who refuse to forgive those who do them wrong?

10. How might “just forgiving another person” differ from “forgiving from the heart”?

11. When was a time when I was overwhelmed with the “willingness of another person to forgive me”?

12. When was a time when I sincerely “forgave another person” some deep personal wrong they had done against me?

13. What does the “Lord’s Prayer” say about forgiving others in the same way we desire the Lord to forgive us?

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