Outside the example of Jesus, this command makes no sense at all. But Jesus shows us the importance of leaving our destiny in the hands of our Creator and Father. Suddenly, this makes perfect sense. What is the best way to defeat an enemy? Certainly, it's not to beat or kill that person. No, the way we defeat our enemies is by having Jesus' grace capture their hearts, having their character conform to that of our King, and having them join us as we live for the Lord! That's the way we defeat our enemies; we bring them to Jesus, and they become our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Video Commentary...
We've included Phil's ToGather video from four years ago as an added blessing to our verse today:
Loving and gracious God, please soften my heart and toughen my resolve so I can love as Jesus loved. Make my life redemptive, especially to those who oppose, abhor, ridicule, belittle, and hate me. Use me, dear Father, to bring others to the grace of Jesus. In his name, I pray. Amen.
"Dear Father, Give us a graciousness by which we shall know how to behave ourselves in your household, the church of the living God, the pillar and..."
"[At the end of the meeting about whether Gentile Christians had to follow Jewish customs,] the apostles and elders together with the whole church in...."
"As [Peter, James, and John] watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light...."
About This Devotional
Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.
![Illustration of Luke 6:28 — [Jesus taught his disciples with these words:] "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."](https://img.heartlight.org/overlazy/creations/78.jpg "Illustration of Luke 6:28 — [Jesus taught his disciples with these words:] \"Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.\"")
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