How well do you do with...

[RunningOnMT]

Loving your enemies? This is something that seems near impossible for me. I mean I can't come even close to loving political enemies like Barack Obama and a host of others, much less a true enemy you'd do real physical battle with. If there is such a thing as a righteous or just war, how can you love someone you are trying to kill?

Some might say you just have to rely on God's forgiveness in matters like that because it is impossible to do. I have to disagree. Christ commanded us to love our enemies and I believe He expects those who follow him to obey.

So for those of you who are Christians, how do you manage to either love your enemies, or reconcile Christ's commandment with the fact that you can't?

[jack404]

it depends , i find it easier to relate to someone who has been trying to kill me than someone plotting against the world

by this the KR fighters i met and got to interact with , some where idealog's some where just kids who'd been lied to , many realised their way was wrong and sought new ways and through that many found Christ or other ways ..

but these lefty SOB's who promote the crap being pushed nowdays

if they caught fire in the street i'd walk on by ,

i think its the knowing what they do that really gets me

i mean history shows us what socialism of the various kinds has been like and its never been even close to nice ( unless your one of the elite)

but yet they push this and to me that shows they wish that treatment upon the rest of us , and for me thats a hard issue to over come

some kid from a hill tribe who's been lied to since birth and who has spent weeks trying to kill me is way preferable ....

and if you think i'm wrong then ask aki Rai the new head of CMAC, (http://cmac.gov.kh/) he was exactly that kind of person and now my friend

i could not be friends with soros or any of his tools the depth of evil in these people is beyond my personal comfort area

[Brisk44]

Well GOD loves us all and agonizes over those that have turned from HIM. When HE asks us to love our enemies I think HE is asking us to pray for their souls and their return to HIM. I don't feel HE is telling us not to do what is necessary to preserve the safety of our loved ones and our country.

[RunningOnMT]

But see, I agree with Jack. I hate socialist ideologues with much more intensity than I ever did the NVA, but I certainly didn't love the NVA.

I tell you though, I have much less regard for Obama, Soros, and most of the dems in congress than any kid fighting for the country he was raised in. I could pray for those people but possibly not as fervantly as I should. I think I feel a bit like Jonah who was called to preach to a people he really hoped wouldn't be saved.

[Sorrowful Jones]

To me, loving your enemies and forgiving your enemies are two different things. I do not think it is possible to get to the "love" part without doing the "forgiving" part first. There are two things that come to mind. First, we should try to remember that the same God that made you also made them. Secondly, on the day of our judgement, when almighty God looks at us and says "How can you expect to be forgiven when you had no forgiveness in you?" What are we going to say?

[ampaterry]

Christ is our example.

He is God.

When does God forgive sins?

When we REPENT of them.

Prior to that, he indeed LOVES us, but he has no FELLOWSHIP with us.

I look at this directive the same way.

I can love my enemies to the extent that I pray they repent of their evil and turn to God.

When they do that, I will love them, pesonally.

Until they do that, I will pray for their soul while having no fellowship with them.

[carver]

Your enemy is a person, right, or wrong, he is still a person, just like you. Love him as a person, pray for him. At any other time, and under different cercomstances, he could be your best friend, or spritual advisor! But never turn your back on him, he is still your enemy! If he threatens your life, or your God given rights, then you must do what ever you have to do to protect yourself, family, and friends!

[tcox4freedom]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

Christ is our example.

He is God.

When does God forgive sins?

When we REPENT of them.

Prior to that, he indeed LOVES us, but he has no FELLOWSHIP with us.

I look at this directive the same way.

I can love my enemies to the extent that I pray they repent of their evil and turn to God.

When they do that, I will love them, pesonally.

Until they do that, I will pray for their soul while having no fellowship with them.

I agree.

I see love & forgiveness as something that must go hand in hand. I think the bible teaches us as much.

Having lived my life as an "abuse" (mental, physical & sexual) survivor, I knew I could not forgive my abusers under my own power. But, I believe this is one of the reasons God sent the Holy Spirit to abide within us as believers. The Holy Spirit (Holy Comforter) empowers us to do what is IMPOSSIBLE within ourselves.

I think the real secret to this power of the Holy Spirit is to live a life of repentance.

When you recognize you are not living the life of love & forgiveness towards someone/anyone, we need to repent and ask God for HIS forgiveness. Then we need to pray for the strength & empowerment of the Holy Spirit to change our sinful nature of HATE & un-forgiveness to one of LOVE & Forgiveness.

Mark 11:25-26 (NASB)
25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
26 ["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."]

(We MUST live a live of forgiveness & love if we want God to forgive us; and the Holy Spirit is the only way we can Love & Forgive sometimes.)

JMHo2c

[76Highboy]

Believe it or not, I pray for our political leaders, along with Obama. Paul was convicted and converted to Christianity so there is hope for anybody. The thing though, is in my preyers I always ask that God's will would be done. So, I pity the political corrupt leaders that don't get right with the Lord. If they choose to not turn to him, then they made the choice to be my enemy in the end. Not me. Until then, I pray for them and give it to God. Past that, I don'y worry about it.

[ampaterry]

Wise words, 76highboy.