Nov 25 2024

Afternoon Bible Verse

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

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Loving our enemies isn't difficult when we don't see them every day. Social media has made it easy to say harsh things without having to deal with face-to-face consequences.

But whether our enemies are close or far away, we are still instructed to pray for them. It may feel unnatural at first, but the more time we spend in prayer, we will start to see them as Christ does.

Jesus set this example for us as He was hanging on the cross. He asked God to forgive them for what they had done. The question is—can we love someone who hurts us and hates the Lord? We can because God shows us how.

Love doesn't mean that you have accepted the evil actions of others, but God requires that we pray for their souls.

Matthew 5:43-44 is part of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. In this Scripture, He addresses a crowd of people and explains what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ.

Jesus sets such a high standard of living that no one can achieve it without God's help. Loving your enemy is counter-cultural, but it is a directive to followers of Jesus.

We are called to love those who hate us the most … and we can with God's help.

Afternoon Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for giving your love to me. Help me follow the example Jesus set in loving and forgiving my enemies. God, it's difficult for me to love someone who doesn't like me. Please let me understand that you love everyone and desire for them to come to salvation. Use my life to reach even my enemies with your Gospel. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Nov 24 2024

Yesterday Afternoon's Bible Verse

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?:

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Yesterday Afternoon's Bible study

The apostle Paul was convinced that nothing could separate us from God's love. He had experienced trials of every kind but knew that God was faithful and had never left him.

The Bible says that five times Paul received 39 stripes (he was whipped), he was beaten with rods three times, stoned once, was shipwrecked and in the water for 24 hours, endured hunger and thirst, was cold and naked, and had been robbed for his faith in God.

Yet even after all that, Paul knew the power of God and the benefit of resting in the Lord.

Most of us will never face this type of persecution in our lifetime. Yet we may feel discouraged and wonder if God still hears us when we pray during tough times.

As followers of Jesus, faith means that we don't base our reality on what we see. Trusting God and having hope in Him is foundational to our beliefs. Even when life is spinning out of control, our certainty is based on God's Word.

We must be fully convinced that there is nothing man can do to us that will take God's love from our lives. There is also nothing we can do to cancel God's love for us.

Yesterday Afternoon's Prayer

God, I'm so thankful that no matter how unbearable life seems or how I'm tempted, your peace lets me know that you love me. Help me remember that when my own heart is condemning me. I am amazed at your love for me, and I know that nothing can separate me from your love. In Jesus' name, amen.
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