LOVE YOUR ENEMIES / LUKE 6:27

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Luke 6:27

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

Radical Grace: What It Really Means to Love Your Enemies (Luke 6:27)

In a world that screams for retaliation, Jesus drops a bombshell commandment that cuts straight through our natural human instincts: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

In Luke 6:27-42, Jesus lays out the ultimate blueprint for how believers should conduct themselves toward others, particularly those who oppose, mistreat, or deeply disagree with us. As followers of Christ, we cannot simply nod along to this teaching; we are called to actively accept the responsibility of the high requirements He outlines.

But what does this actually look like in everyday life?

It is an Intentional Choice, Not a Feeling

Loving our enemies does not mean conjuring up a warm, emotional affection for someone who has wronged you. This isn’t a superficial, feel-good love. Instead, scriptural love speaks of having a genuine concern for their ultimate good, and especially for their eternal spiritual salvation.

Because we understand the terrible, eternal consequences awaiting those who live hostile to God and His people, our hearts should break for them rather than burn with vengeance. We are called to pray for them and seek windows of opportunity to introduce them to Christ. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that our weapon of choice is radical kindness:

• Repaying good for evil: We trade love for hate and blessings for curses (Matthew 5:39-45; Romans 12:17).
• Surrendering vengeance: We trust God with justice rather than taking matters into our own hands (Proverbs 20:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9).

Through kind, gracious, and unexpected actions, we reflect a reflection of the Father’s heart, who is kind even to the ungrateful and wicked.

Love is Not Passive in the Face of Evil

It is equally important to understand what loving your enemies does not mean. It does not mean passively standing by as the wicked continue to defy God, harm the innocent, or tear down truth.

True love does not enable destruction. Under God’s approval and explicit guidance, we must graciously, humbly, but boldly take a stand against evil and ungodliness. When it is necessary for God’s honor, for the physical safety of others, or even for the highest spiritual good of the wrongdoer, deliberate action must be taken to stop evil in its tracks. We see this modeled perfectly by Jesus Himself when He cleared the temple courts (Mark 11:15; John 2:13-17). Zeal for God’s righteousness and love for people coexist perfectly.

Loving our enemies requires a supernatural balance: a heart that is infinitely merciful, paired with a backbone made of absolute truth.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Your grace overwhelms us. While we were still Your enemies, Christ died for us and showed us what perfect, sacrificial love looks like. Lord, we confess that loving those who oppose or hurt us is impossible in our own strength. We need the power of Your Holy Spirit to transform our hearts.

Give us a genuine concern for the spiritual salvation of those who stand against us. Help us to repay hate with love, insults with blessings, and cruelty with kindness. Remove any root of bitterness or desire for revenge within us.

At the same time, grant us the courage, humility, and wisdom to stand boldly against evil. Let our lives honor Your name, protect the vulnerable, and point even the most hostile hearts back to the cross of Jesus Christ. May Your love be our standard and Your truth be our shield.

In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.

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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

1. WOE TO YOU WHEN ALL MEN SPEAK WELL / LUKE 6:26
2. WOE TO YOU WHO ARE RICH / LUKE 6:24
3. HOW THEIR FATHERS TREATED THE PROPHETS / LUKE 6:23
4. WHEN MEN HATE YOU / LUKE 6:22
5. YOU WHO WEEP / LUKE 6:21
6. BLESSED YOU WHO ARE POOR / LUKE 6:20
7. SERMON ON THE PLAIN / LUKE 6:17-19
8. SPENT THE NIGHT PRAYING / LUKE 6:12
9. JESUS AND THE SABBATH / LUKE 6:2-10
10. SABBATH / LUKE 6:1
11. ‘THE OLD IS BETTER’ / LUKE 5:39
12. NEW WINE INTO OLD WINESKINS / LUKE 5:37
13. IN THOSE DAYS THEY WILL FAST / LUKE 5:35
14. EAT AND DRINK WITH … ‘SINNERS’ / LUKE 5:30
15. SON OF MAN / LUKE 5:24
16. JESUS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING / LUKE 5:22
17. CARRYING A PARALYTIC / LUKE 5:18
18. THE POWER OF THE LORD WAS PRESENT / LUKE 5:17
19. PRAYERS OF JESUS / LUKE 5:16
20. YOU WILL CATCH MEN / LUKE 5:9-10
21. HEALED THEM / LUKE 4:40
22. AN EVIL SPIRIT / LUKE 4:33-35
23. HIS MESSAGE HAD AUTHORITY / LUKE 4:32
24. HE HAS ANOINTED ME / LUKE 4:18-19
25. THE SPIRIT ON ME / LUKE 4:18
26. SATAN’S USE OF SCRIPTURE / LUKE 4:10
27. THE DEVIL / LUKE 4:9
28. THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD / LUKE 4:5
29. DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE / LUKE 4:4
30. JESUS FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT / LUKE 4:1-2
31. JESUS’ GENEALOGY / LUKE 3:23
32. HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED ON HIM / LUKE 3:22
33. HE WILL BURN UP THE CHAFF / LUKE 3:17
34. BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / LUKE 3:16
35. FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE / LUKE 3:8
36. CAESAR … PILATE … HEROD / LUKE 3:1-2
37. JESUS GREW IN WISDOM / LUKE 2:52
38. I HAD TO BE IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE / LUKE 2:49-51
39. THE CHILD GREW / LUKE 2:39-40
40. ANNA … WORHIPED / LUKE 2:36-38
41. A SWORD WILL PIERCE YOUR OWN SOUL / LUKE 2:33-35
42. RIGHTEOUS AND DEVOUT – WAITING FOR THE CONSOLATION / LUKE 2:25-32
43. A PAIR OF DOVES / LUKE 2:24
44. PRESENT HIM TO THE LORD / LUKE 2:22-23
45. THEY SPREAD THE WORD / LUKE 2:17-18
46. A SAVIOR … CHRIST THE LORD / LUKE 2:11
47. THE NATIONS YOUR INHERITANCE / PSALMS 2:8
48. A MANGER / LUKE 2:6-7
49. HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS / LUKE 1:68-75
50. GOD MY SAVIOR / LUKE 1:46-47
51. AS YOU HAVE SAID / LUKE 1:38
52. THE HOLY ONE / LUKE 1:34-35
53. HIS FATHER DAVID / LUKE 1:32-33
54. YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED / LUKE 1:28
55. PLEDGED TO BE MARRIED / LUKE 1:26-27
56. SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH – THE FATHERS OF THEIR CLILDREN / LUKE 1:17
57. FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT – WINE FERMENTED DRINK / LUKE 1:15
58. DIVISION OF ABIJAH DESCENDANT OF AARON / LUKE 1:5
59. THEOPHILUS / LUKE 1:1-4
60. Crews N Away: Anchored in Grace

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Blessings, Margarita & Stace