Matthew 5:43-48 Impossible Love
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 3, 2019, Matthew 5:43-48
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(Revelation of God) This is a description of God’s love. He loves His enemies and wants the best for those who persecuted Him. On the cross, Jesus drew in painful breath by painful breath with blood flowing down his brow and back. Onlookers taunted Him as He was stretched out naked above them. He was in agony from the total departure of His other self. The Father and Spirit had left Him. In His most vulnerable, pain-filled lonely state, He looked out at His persecutors and the soldiers who had hung Him on the cross, and His whole attitude towards them was of love. He asked that they be forgiven because they were acting out of their ignorance. This was not a performance that He was play-acting; it was the natural outpouring of the love for others that was His very being.
God does not feel resentment towards those who reject Him and malign Him. He continues to bless those who are His enemies, as well as those who are His friends. This is why people who claim that a drought, a famine, an earthquake, a fire, etc. is God’s punishment are lying about God’s character. The only time that God has ever used such disasters as punishment, He always gave the message of it repeatedly. He sent Jonah to Ninevah; Israel had the blessings and cursings, as well as many prophets warning them; nations surrounding Israel were also warned by prophets. These were not just the warnings of self-righteous ordinary people who were offended by the excesses that surrounded them. These were prophets with direct messages from God for the people. In the normal course of nature, God does not withhold rain without a direct warning. When calamities happen, it is usually because men have brought them upon themselves and others who happened to be unlucky enough to be in the path of the destruction caused by human choices. Other times it is demonic activity. It’s only a judgment of God if He announces it clearly to the people in warning beforehand.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus called us to be different. Enemies may choose us as foes, but we are not to make others our enemies. If someone chooses to be our enemy, we are to look at them in pity and love. Their hatefulness should not arouse an answering hatred and bitterness in us. When someone moves to attack us, we are not to respond with bitterness towards the person.
(Application / Prayer) This is hard. I can handle the not responding actively part, but the inward loving part is impossible for me. I pray that You will give me the love that I don’t have. I don’t love people very much to start with. They irritate me, and I resent them, and I just don’t like them very much. I need your love, which I don’t understand because frankly I feel like most people, including myself, are just plain unlovable. I pray that You will change my heart.