It is natural,according to our sinful human nature, that we love those who love us, but hate those who are our enemies and do us wrong.

When someone abuses us or causes us pain or loss, the natural thing for us is that we get back at them with revenge and like treatment. It seems to do us good to get even.

Jesus taught that even if someone causes us a great deal of anguish and pain, we are, by the grace of God, to love them and forgive them and help them. This requires a great deal more godliness on our part, and if we do as Jesus taught, will reflect God's presence living in us. God has promised to greatly reward all those who do this.

It is not much of a problem to love those who are loveable, our friends, those who love us and help us; but it requires God's grace to love our enemies, those who would seek our harm.

Jesus's teaching was one hundred and eighty degrees out of phase with the thinking of his time, and it is so with the thinking of our time today.

Jesus said: "Ye have heard it said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you: that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the Publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the Publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5: 43-48

Let us pray that God will, by his grace, instill within us his attribute of loving our enemies as well as our friends and neighbors so that his light may shine through us.

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The sinful human nature in mankind seeks revenge and wants to "get even". as it were, for every little wrong done unto us. The law of the old testament declared that for every wrong deed done to someone, the wrong doer was to receive the same thing done to him: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. If you slap my face, I will slap yours, if you kill my dog, I will kill yours, etc.. The attitude was that if I can't have something, I don't want you to have it either, thus: Envy, strife, and contention.

Unfortunately, this same attitude prevails in the world today, even among some Christians, I am ashamed to report. We are always complaining like school children about what is fair, and that which seems to be unfair to us.

When Jesus came, he taught a whole new set of rules and standards that God's redeemed children ought to adhere to. Instead of revenge and getting even, we ought to be more ready to forgive and pardon one another, even as God does us through our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. We ought to have pity and feel sorry for the one who does us wrong, and if possible bring him into the fold of the redeemed of God.

Jesus said:"Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if a man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also, and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away." Matthew 5: 38-42.

Why not go the extra mile, and show mercy?

The apostle Paul, speaking to Christians said: "Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another, why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" 1 Corinthians 6:7

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We need to be very careful not to make promises that we do not intend to keep or have no power to perform. Deliberately breaking a promise or breaking a vow is sin. We must not make vows to God and then renege on our promise. God will not hold us guiltless if we do. If we find that we are guilty of making vows to man or God and forswearing ourselves, we need to go to God and confess, make restitution if that is possible, so that we might be forgiven.

We really have no right to swear to anything, nor make any promises beyond the point in time in which we now exist because we have very little or no control over the future. It is best just to say yes, yes, or no, no, all according to the will of God.

Jesus said: "Again ye have heard that it hath been said of them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all, neither by heaven: for it is God's throne. Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem: for it is the city of the great king. Neither shall thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white of black. But let your communication be yea, yea, nay, nay,: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matthew 5: 33-37.

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One man, one woman, joined together in marriage for life: This is God's perfect plan for the home, and the propagation of children. The marriage relationship between man and wife here on earth is a picture of a child of God's relationship with Christ. The redeemed church is considered to be the bride of Christ.

If a man or woman strays from the one to whom he or she has pledged themselves for life, and has intercourse with another, this is considered adultery in the mind of God. One of the ten commandments says: "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

Jesus taught his hearers that not only was it possible that one might commit physical adultery, but more importantly, one is in danger of committing adultery in one's mind as well.

How many of us can feast our eyes on sexually explicit videos and movies without committing adultery in our minds? That which the mind conceives, the flesh achieves. We are all guilty and need to confess so that we might be forgiven.

Is there a redeemed child of God anywhere who has never looked upon the things of the world in his mind and lusted after them, and been tempted to fall away from the things of Christ and follow after them? We have all been guilty at times and need to confess so that we might be forgiven.

The actions of the flesh begin with the thoughts of the mind. We need to keep our mind on Christ and his word so that we will not be tempted to commit physical or spiritual adultery. That which the world sees in our marital relationship with our spouse, is a reflection of our relationship and marriage to Christ. We need to be careful what kind of a picture we present.

Jesus said: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5: 27,28. "And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commiteth adultery, and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Matthew 19: 9.

It is indeed sad to behold so many broken homes and families who have strayed from their marriage vows, and because of the lust of the flesh, have committed adultery. It is equally sad to behold one who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ, and has become part of the bride of Christ, to fall back into the sins of the world and be guilty of committing adultery with the world.

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Only God can create life, therefore only God has the right to place a value on a life and to terminate a life.

One of the ten commandments says: "Thou shalt not kill". Jesus reminded the multitude of this commandment, but went beyond the commandment to show that there are many ways to disobey this commandment and to kill. He pointed out that if we harbor anger in our hearts against another without cause, we are effectively disobeying this commandment not to kill, for we are destroying him in our own thoughts. If we through gossip or false witness say evil things to demean another we are killing his reputation and esteem.

God will not accept our worship of him so long as we have hatred, resentments, and bitter envying against our fellowmen. Before we can effectively worship God and be pleasing to him, we must be in right relationship with others.

Jesus said: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say , thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift before the altar and there rememberest that thy brother have ought against thee, leave there thy thy gift before the altar, and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Let us take heed to what Jesus has taught us about obeying the commandment not to kill: not to bring physical harm to another and not to be guilty of destroying him or causing him harm in any other way.

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