“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Luke 6:27-28
We were meant to live life in deep relationships with other people. From the moment God looked at Adam and said, “It is not good for man to be alone” and created Eve, human beings have been given the gift of relationships, whether with our spouse, family members, or friends. While relationships are indeed a gift, they can also be a challenge as conflict is bound to arise at times. Conflict that comes can be jarring and surprising, so we may often find ourselves not knowing how to respond at times. Gratefully, Scripture gives us guidance on how to respond to others in the middle of conflict.
Jesus talked about how to respond to conflict in Luke 6. The conflict He was talking about is almost a separate category conflict because He talked about responding to our enemies. As He was teaching one day, He said to them, “Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you” (verse 27). Several verses later, as if He anticipated that we might be wondering what it looks like to love our enemies, He gave this rule to live by, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you” (verse 31). This teaching is clear: we are to love people, including our enemies, by treating them the way we want to be treated. This, my friends, becomes the filter for loving people, even in times of conflict.
How do we love difficult people? How do we respond well and show love to people in conflict? We ask ourselves, “How do I want them to treat me?” and we treat them that same way. When we follow this instruction, we can navigate even through the most difficult conflict well. What conflicts are you facing right now? Let this teaching from Jesus help guide you. How do you hope they will treat you throughout this situation? Commit to showing love by treating them in the same way.
To put it simply, we encourage you to be nice to others. That goes for your spouse, friends, boss, coworkers, etc. Your kindness always moves conflict in the right direction.
Think about the person you are facing conflict with right now, whether a spouse, friend, family member or acquaintance. How would you like to be treated by them right now? How can you take steps right now to treat that person the way you hope to be treated? Then, commit today to take those steps, even in the middle of the conflict you are facing.
Luke 6:27-36 (NLT)
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
