One Reason Why We Should Love Those We Hate

Admit it. There's at least one person on this planet you hate.
"But hate is a strong word."
Fine then. One person you strongly dislike.

 So when Jesus says something radical like, "Love your enemies", we may pay lip service to him. We may say, "Yeah, I love my enemies." I've been in that boat. But deep down in my heart, there's still people I pray that God's wrath will come upon. After all, they deserve it!

But before we can wish judgment upon our enemies, we must pray for mercy. For grace. And here's why:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless,Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Romans 5:6-10

This is the one reason why should love those we hate: because God loved us when we were His enemies! Because God the Son died for us when we would not live our lives for Him. We are obligated to pay that love forward.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?"

Therefore, think of a person you hate. Or "strongly dislike". What should you do?


  1. Pray that God will save them through faith in Jesus Christ
  2. Pray that God will bless their earthly lives and make them a blessing to other people
  3. Pray that God will reconcile you both, if you know them personally
Remember, we should love those we hate because God loved us when we were unlovable. Thank the Lord Jesus for His grace!

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