POWERFUL.PRAYER. PARTNERS.
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Testimonies
  • Manna Blog
  • Prayer Resources
    • Written Prayers >
      • Declarations
      • For those possibly prone to violence
    • Sexual Harassment Repentance >
      • Specific Harassment Repentance
    • Catholic Prayer Resources >
      • Prayer Journaling
      • Prayer Practices
    • Christian Prayer Resources >
      • Prayer Journaling
      • Prayer Practices
  • News and Events
Powerful.Prayer.Partners.

Love - Old and New

5/30/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
  Another of the many contrasts John draws in his first letter is that  of the old command and the new command. In 1 John 2:7 he says, I'm not writing you a new command but an old one, yet it is a new command.    So which is it?  New or old?
  He means to say it is both old and new.  Leviticus 19:18 reads, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the Lord." (emphasis mine) Jesus said that we should love one another as he loved us, which is more than loving our neighbor as ourselves (John 13:34).  Loving someone as God loves us goes far beyond loving someone as we love ourselves.  In this way, Jesus' teaching is an old teaching with a new twist.  It is a command of a greater magnitude. The Jewish hearers of Jesus' teaching would have noticed the change immediately.  They had been taught to love only those who did good to them.  
  But Jesus' teaching specifically went beyond even loving our neighbors when he proclaimed, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43).  So the teaching of Jesus progressed from the old command to "love your neighbor as yourself" to "love your neighbor as I love you" to "love your enemies".  Changing from "love your neighbor" to "love your enemy" indeed makes it a new command. Undoubtedly this is one of the hardest teachings of Jesus to accept and try to practice.
  For Reflection:  As Christians, how are we doing at loving our neighbors?  How are we doing at loving our enemies?  Perhaps we need to ask ourselves, "Who is my enemy?"  Today I hear people in the U.S. speak of "those republicans" or "those democrats" as if they are the enemy. Or we speak of unnamed terrorists or ISIS or Al Quaeda as the enemy.  Yet Paul says we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).  So who, indeed, is our enemy?
  Let us pray.  Jesus, I seek to follow your command to love my enemies and pray for, or do good to, those who persecute me. Who have I been treating as my enemy?  I ask you to help me see them through your eyes.  I need help praying for them and not against them.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Alice

    I started this website and blog on May 1, 2012.  I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years.  I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s.   Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs.  It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. 

    May all who see this site and read the blog find it inspirational and helpful and may it lead you closer to Jesus.

    If you would like to donate to keep the ministry going, please visit the home page where there is a PayPal button.

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    July 2018
    February 2018
    May 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    2 Corinthians
    Abraham
    Acts Of The Apostles
    Angel
    Authority
    Baptism
    Belief
    Boldness
    Colossians
    Communion
    Corinthians
    Corporal Works Of Mercy
    David And Abigail
    Depression
    Deuteronomy
    Discernment
    Doubt
    Dreams
    Elijah
    Encouragement
    Ephesians
    Exodus
    Ezekiel
    Faith
    Faithful
    Fathers
    Fear
    Fellowship
    Food
    Forgiveness
    Galatians
    Generosity
    Genesis
    Glory
    God
    Guilt
    Healing
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Inspiration
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    Jesus
    John
    Joseph Of Egypt
    Joseph Of Egypt
    Joy
    Justice
    Kingdom Of God
    Kingdom Of God
    Law
    Lent
    Leviticus
    Light
    Love
    Luke
    Manna
    Mark
    Mary
    Matthew
    Miracles
    Moses
    Multiplication
    Nehemiah
    Obedience
    Patience
    Peace
    Pentecost
    Persecution
    Persistence
    Peter
    Power
    Praise
    Prayer
    Preaching
    Presence
    Promises
    Prophecy
    Protection
    Psalms
    Reconciliation
    Repentance
    Resurrection
    Revelation
    Rom
    Romans
    Saul/Paul
    Saul/Paul
    Shame
    Sin
    Spiritual Works Of Mercy
    Standing With God
    Thanksgiving
    Thessalonians
    Timothy
    Titles Of Jesus
    Training
    Trust
    Trustworthy
    Unbelief
    Unity
    Violence
    Walls
    Wisdom
    Witnessing
    Women

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Testimonies
  • Manna Blog
  • Prayer Resources
    • Written Prayers >
      • Declarations
      • For those possibly prone to violence
    • Sexual Harassment Repentance >
      • Specific Harassment Repentance
    • Catholic Prayer Resources >
      • Prayer Journaling
      • Prayer Practices
    • Christian Prayer Resources >
      • Prayer Journaling
      • Prayer Practices
  • News and Events