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When You've Lost That Loving Feeling (Or Never Had It.)


But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:44)


Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
         So, along comes one of those people who makes your skin crawl, or who makes you want to hide until they're gone, or who you think deserves to be shamed or otherwise mistreated. Imagine coming face to face with someone who abused and contributed to the death of your sister. Corrie and Betsy TenBoom were sent to a concentration camp for helping Jews escape the Nazis. Betsy died there. After the war, Corrie tried to help people who had suffered like she had. One day, a man walked up and reintroduced himself. He had been one of the guards at her camp, but had since become a Christian. What do you do in a situation like that?
         To put it a different way, what do you do when Jesus tells you to love your enemies or some other person you don't like? It's easier when they're not there, offering you their hand, or threatening to take your life. How do you love when there's no love there?  Corrie TenBoom did what today's passages suggest: she prayed, and as a result of that prayer, was able survive his brutality, and to shake his hand.
        You may never be asked to shake the hand of someone who once lived to watch you die, but the smaller challenges are always there. There have been people who inflicted lesser injuries. When they come to mind, pray for them. When anger or hatred cloud your judgment, pray for them and for yourself. Ask God to cause you to love even if you don't feel loving. Ask God to bless them and to save them in spite of your feelings. Those prayers are first steps in obedience to today's passages.



    

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