“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48
Someone coined the phrase “tough love” some time ago to indicate the type of love that isn’t just ‘soft’ and ‘cushy’.
Tough love has a little bit of resistance to it when it is called for.
When you consider the type of love Jesus spoke about you might also call it tough love.
After all, as He pointed out, it is easy to love someone who loves you in return.
To be kind to the people who are kind to you.
It is infinitely more difficult, it is tough, to love those who do not return that love.
“Tough love” that loves in that way is supernatural.
It is not soft or cushy.
So what’s the ‘resistance’ part?
That’s when you show love to someone and, not only is that love not returned to you but, what is returned is anger and hatred instead.
You show love and they dig in their heels, even more angry than before.
So what do you do then?
Continue loving them.
Continue praying for them.
Continue to let the love of God flow through you to them.
Can you expect that, sooner or later, they will turn around and bless you?
Not always.
But that doesn’t give you an ‘out’, a reason to quit.
Jesus went to the cross for all of mankind but not all of mankind will receive the work accomplished there.
You may never see your enemy turn around and bless you.
Just as not all will receive what was done on the cross, not all will accept the love of God through you.
But don’t stop loving them.
God is love and only as you encounter Him and continue in
His love, filled to overflowing in you, are you able to love your enemies.
That is supernatural love.
That is ‘tough love’!
Matthew 5:43-48
Someone coined the phrase “tough love” some time ago to indicate the type of love that isn’t just ‘soft’ and ‘cushy’.
Tough love has a little bit of resistance to it when it is called for.
When you consider the type of love Jesus spoke about you might also call it tough love.
After all, as He pointed out, it is easy to love someone who loves you in return.
To be kind to the people who are kind to you.
It is infinitely more difficult, it is tough, to love those who do not return that love.
“Tough love” that loves in that way is supernatural.
It is not soft or cushy.
So what’s the ‘resistance’ part?
That’s when you show love to someone and, not only is that love not returned to you but, what is returned is anger and hatred instead.
You show love and they dig in their heels, even more angry than before.
So what do you do then?
Continue loving them.
Continue praying for them.
Continue to let the love of God flow through you to them.
Can you expect that, sooner or later, they will turn around and bless you?
Not always.
But that doesn’t give you an ‘out’, a reason to quit.
Jesus went to the cross for all of mankind but not all of mankind will receive the work accomplished there.
You may never see your enemy turn around and bless you.
Just as not all will receive what was done on the cross, not all will accept the love of God through you.
But don’t stop loving them.
God is love and only as you encounter Him and continue in
His love, filled to overflowing in you, are you able to love your enemies.
That is supernatural love.
That is ‘tough love’!
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