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.
"The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to..."
"But Paul's nephew — his sister's son — heard of [the group of men who made a vow to kill Paul with an ambush on his way to the ruling council] and..."
"You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of...."
"Dear Precious Disciple,
I appreciate your desire to follow Me and put Me first in your life. Your efforts at faithfulness do not go unnoticed. Your....."
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.
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