Love Your Enemy

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:43-45

Today we will be looking at the story of Naaman. He was a commander in the Syrian army and a very honorable man but he had leprosy. After one of the raids on the people of Israel, a slave girl was brought back and made to serve Naaman’s wife.

The slave girl could have built up hatred towards her master because she had been taken as a captive from her own land. However, she was willing to testify to her faith in God by showing unconditional love to her master and told him how he could be cured of his leprosy.

It is interesting to note that the slave girl must have excelled in her work and developed a good rapport with her master because both Naaman and his wife heeded her advice.

The outcome was that Naaman was not only healed of his leprosy but he also came to know the Lord of Israel; and all this was possible because of the kindness of the slave girl.

So how can we apply the principle of this story to our lives today?

Many of us may often find ourselves in a position of servitude, whether it is at work or at home. Sometimes, the relationships we have with those we serve are not always easy but let us encourage one another to have the same attitude that the slave girl had towards her master. With God’s grace, we can rise above the difficulties and reach out to them with God’s unconditional love, so that we can be a living testimony of His Holy Spirit’s power to save their souls and meet their every need.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for the love that You have for me and that You love me unconditionally. Help me to give that same love to all mankind, so that people will see Jesus in me. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo & Manju