Daily Devotion: Enemies

Bible Reading:  Matthew 5:38-48 

Key Verse: Verse 44 - “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;”

Key Words: Love your enemies

Be honest now!!  Don’t you have a difficult time loving your enemies?  Why, I think everyone battles with that one.  Loving your enemies is not natural; it is supernatural.  It takes God working in our lives to “love our enemies.”

In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington.  In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor.  One day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die.  Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor.  “No, Peter,” General Washington said, “I cannot grant you the life of your friend.”  “My friend!” exclaimed the old preacher.  “He’s the bitterest enemy I have.”  “What?” cried Washington.  “You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy?  That puts the matter in different light.  I’ll grant your pardon.”  And he did.  Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata – no longer an enemy but a friend.

What to do:
✞ Love never fails, so love your enemies.

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