Which Cheek Should I Turn?
READ: Luke 6:27-38
When I was 10 years old, my father and grandfather stopped talking to each other. I don't exactly remember everything, but an argument occurred and relations with my grandparents halted. Recently, my grandfather entered the hospital with a knee injury. When this news reached my family, we decided to visit him. The look on their faces when we stepped into the hospital room was one I'd never seen before. After years of silence and anger, they had forgiven each other and since then our family has made frequent visits to the nursing home where he is recovering.
How can we love our enemies? Luke 6:27-29 instructs us. "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also." This isn't easy to do in our lives, like when friends turn on us or the person in the next car cuts us off. our sinful nature can't do anything but stir up feelings of hate. However, with God's help, we are to "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)
Just as God sent His Son to die for all our sins and grants forgiveness for sins, we should do the same. Instead of hating others, we should take upon ourselves Jesus' attitude by loving and forgiving everyone.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: How many enemies do you have? What have you done to decrease your hate for them? Why should we love those who do wrong to us?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Ask God to help you remove hate for others and instead love and forgive others. Ask God to help your enemies forgive you. Thank Jesus for giving us an attitude to model ourselves after and dying for our sins.