Messy Prayers for Muddled Relationships - Part 5 - FMC

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Messy Prayers for Muddled Relationships

Part 5

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Luke 6:27-31 (NLT)

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:32-36 (NLT)

I can love my enemies by…

1. ___________________________ to them.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you…”

Luke 6:27 (NLT)

2. _________________________ them.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you…”

Luke 6:27-28a (NLT)

3. _____________________________ for them.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Luke 6:27-28 (NLT)

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Deeper Dive - Messy Prayers for Muddled Relationships

Part 5

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Luke 6:27-31 (NLT)

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:32-36 (NLT)

I can love my enemies by…

1. Doing good to them.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you…”

Luke 6:27 (NLT)

Thoughts and questions for discussion: Have you ever been so angry at someone you couldn’t speak without yelling? Or have you played out a scenario in your mind that raised your blood pressure and it took hours to return to a normal level? And, while you were flooded with these emotions the person you were upset with did the unthinkable; they offered you a bottle of cold water or gave up their seat on a cramped bus. How did that affect your anger? Imagine someone defiantly disagreeing with your religion because they can’t understand how archaic you are to follow such a “shallow and judgmental tradition” like Christianity. Do you tell them all the things you’re against and how right you are, or do you listen to them and ask questions to understand why they feel the way they do? Which example do you feel is more Christ-like?

2. Blessing them.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you…” Luke 6:27-28a (NLT)

Thoughts and questions for discussion: Is it easy to be nice when someone is swearing at you? Is it a challenge to speak kindly to someone who wants the absolute worst to happen to you? Our examples of how to respond come from centuries of people who have lived Christ-like lives. They fought for peace between people by doing the unimaginable to those who claimed to be their enemies; they blessed them with kindness and aid when injured. They cared for the orphaned and widowed. From the early church in the book of Acts we see the act of compassion and it was difficult for them too. How can you bless those who curse you? How can you show compassion and be a blessing?

3. Praying for them.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Luke 6:27-28 (NLT)

Thoughts and questions for discussion: An amazing experience of living a Spirit filled life is to be led to pray for those that anger us and to allow God to direct our thoughts and actions. Therapists over the years have suggested counting to 10 before responding to someone who has upset them to give them an opportunity to think before speaking. Neither exercise is easy, but they are simple. When someone mistreats us, our natural thought is to pray harm towards them, but it’s developing a Christ-like heart and growing in faith that God will do a great work in their heart. How could this change the way you handle conflict in all your relationships? Who could you start praying for right now? How would you pray for them?