EXTREME FRIENDSHIP

Matthew 5:44

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

START

Ever since third grade you've been feuding with the sorry excuse

for a human being who's just plunked down in the desk in front

of you. Last week your squabble erupted afresh when the guy

pelted your house with three dozen eggs--resulting in two giant

swaths of dimpled siding, three shattered windows, and one

traumatized family dog. If that wasn't bad enough, the police

interrogated you. Your parents blamed you. The only plus

about sitting behind him now is that he can't see your

laser-like eyes smoking holes in his skull.

How do you treat people who inflict pain on you?

READ Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said: 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your

neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you, love your

enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 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. 46 If you love those who

love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax

collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own

people, what are you doing more than others? Do not

even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your

heavenly Father is perfect."

THINK

Perfect? Like God? If this command sounds over the top,

breathe deeply. Then answer this: Why does Jesus tell

you to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute

you"? (Look for what follows "that you may be...")

On whom does God shower his care--his warm sun and life-giving rain?

Even pagans who don't know God care about people who

love them. How can you do better than that?

LIVE

If you love people who cause you pain, are you excusing the

wrongs they do? Explain.

You've learned that God wants his care to spread around the

world and to every person on the planet. No doubt there are

some people you'd rather skip. Yet when you love the unlovable

and care for the incurable, you're like God. Perfect. Holy. Mature.

God never brushes off evil. In fact, he's the only being in the

universe who knows how it feels to have the whole human

race stand against him (Romans 5:10). But his undeserved

kindness busts through our sinfulness and makes us his

friends (Colossians 1:21-22). He wants us to pass on to

others the love he's given to us.

When you scan your world, who looks easy to love? Why?

Who is more challenging to love? Make a list. Next to each

name, jot down one tiny way you can show this person

the same brand of kindness God shows us.

WRAP

You might figure that Jesus received a lot of playground

thrashings as a kid. After all, he tells you not just to love

your enemies but to "turn your other cheek" (Matthew 5:39 NIRV).

One thing shows us for sure that Jesus was no wimp: He

was radically tough in his willingness to suffer for our sake.

Loving an enemy doesn't mean you're pathetically weak.

It proves you're incredibly strong.

MORE THOUGHTS TO MULL

What people in your world act with Christlike kindness?

Ask them how they pull it off.

Think about some of your ugliest thoughts about people.

Then ask yourself how you'd feel if God or other people

felt that way about you.

Some of the people who hurt you in life will be fellow Christians.

How does the fact that you and your archenemy may one day

share a pew in heaven alter how you act now?

MORE SCRIPTURES TO DIG

Your natural instincts tell you to dish back whatever others

dish at you. Jesus sums up that mentality in Matthew 5:38-42.

Then he tells us to go out of our way to be kind to people who

cause us pain. Clearly that's a massive challenge, but it's doing

love the way Jesus does it. You might feel as though you're

letting evil slide if you don't take revenge for the wrongs done

to you. Actually, when you choose not to repay evil with evil,

you stomp on evil by doing good things. "If your enemy is

hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Look for all of these deep thoughts in Romans 12:17-21.

None of this means you can't ask God to rescue you from

people who aim to crush you. Look at Psalm 25 for some

wise words. King David prays for safety. He asks for his

enemies' downfall. But David also asks God to forgive his

sins, and he invites God to guide him along the right paths

in every part of his life.

You have one enemy who's more evil than any other. And

he's one guy you don't have to love. Read about him in 1 Peter
5:8-11.

**

Taken from "Stick" by Kevin Johnson, copyright 2008, Youth

Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission.