TRANSFORMED 

Part Five: bless those… October 4, 2026 

Christians are not called to love and bless only those who love them and bless them.  Christians are supposed to love and bless their enemies.  

In Romans 12:14, Paul tells Christians to bless those who persecute them.  

“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” (Romans 12:14, NLT)  

The Greek word translated "bless" in Romans 12:14 means “to do good, speak well of, and pray for others.”  Again, this is easy to do if the people you are blessing are blessing you in return, but Paul tells Christians to bless those who are harming them.   

Why should Christians bless their enemies? 

• God loves and blesses both the evil and the good, and He expects His children to do the same.   

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies!  Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.  For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?  Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?  Even pagans do that.  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48, NLT)  

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies!  Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you.  Pray for those who hurt you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also.  If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.  Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back.  Do to others as you would like them to do to you.  If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that?  Even sinners love those who love them!  And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit?  Even sinners do that much!  And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit?  Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.  Love your enemies!  Do good to them.  Lend to them without expecting to be repaid.  Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.  You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”  (Luke 6:27–36, NLT)  

Why should Christians love, pray for, and bless everyone, even those who hate them?  Christians are to be kind to all people because their Heavenly Father is kind to all people. 

What do you need to do to bless your enemies?  

1.  Reflect on how God has shown you great love and mercy. 

To show compassion and kindness to your enemies, you must spend time pondering how God has shown you compassion and kindness. 

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.  For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”  (Romans 5:8–11, NLT)  

“For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to Himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.  This includes you who were once far away from God.  You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.  As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.”  (Colossians 1:19–22, NLT)  

Remember how God showed you love and mercy when you were His enemy.  Consider how God rescued you and blessed you with eternal life.  Reflect on how God did good when you were bad, and gave you salvation you did not deserve. 

2.  Release your right to revenge to God.   

We live in a culture that admires and advocates revenge, but the Bible teaches Christians not to take revenge because vengeance belongs exclusively to God.  God is the only perfect, righteous judge.  Only He is qualified to execute vengeance.   

“Dear friends, never take revenge.  Leave that to the righteous anger of God.  For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.”  (Romans 12:19, NLT)  

When you try to take matters into your own hands, you replace God's rightful role as judge.  Your retaliation only escalates anger, fuels malice, and starts endless cycles of hurt.  When you try to get revenge on the person who hurt you, you sin and make yourself like your offender.  

“You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect.  Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.  For God is pleased when, conscious of His will, you patiently endure unjust treatment.  Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong.  But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.  For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you.  He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.  He never sinned or deceived anyone.  He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.  He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”   (1 Peter 2:18–23, NLT)  

3.  Remind yourself what is at stake. 

Jesus and the apostles taught Christians to love, pray for, and bless their enemies because they knew that responding to hostility with love and mercy is the only way to show sinners a better way to live.   

Every day, remind yourself that your enemies are your mission field.  Love people the way God loves them.  Have compassion for those who need it most and show mercy to those who do not deserve it.  The world says, “Don't waste time loving your enemies,” but God says, “Loving your enemies is the best use of your time,” because it will transform you and our world!