Living the Impossible: Loving Your Enemies in the Workplace

Living the Impossible Life that Christ has called us to live is not an easy task, but it is something that Christians are called to do. We're looking at one of the impossible things that Christ says we must do: love our enemies in the workplace. The Bible defines enemies as people who are hostile, oppose you, hate you, and are antagonistic towards you, and we are called to love these people.

One of the clues to understanding how to accomplish this task is found in Matthew chapter 5, verses 43 to 45. Christ says, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your father who's in heaven." Sons of God are able to obey this command, as they take on and display the nature of God and take responsibility to fulfill the purposes of the Father.

The love we are called to have for our enemies is agape love, which speaks about having a willingness to do acts that would benefit someone's well-being and normally at your own expense. God is calling us to have that kind of love towards our enemies. This love does not just remain among those who love God or are like God, but rather it is indiscriminate and is to be shown to all men, even those who hate us.

But how do we go about doing this impossible task? We can't do it by the power of our will alone, but we need to practice certain disciplines in order to bring the ability to get it done. The first discipline is daily reflection or often reflecting on how God loved us while we were still His enemies.

The second discipline is prayer. We need to pray for our enemies and ask God to bless them, to help them, and to change them. By doing so, we are putting their needs above our own, and this helps us to develop a heart of compassion and love towards them.

The third discipline is forgiveness. Forgiving our enemies is not easy, but it is necessary. Forgiveness releases us from the burden of bitterness and resentment and allows us to move forward in love. Forgiving our enemies does not mean we condone their actions or approve of their behaviour, but it means that we release them from any debt they owe us and let God deal with them in His own way and time.

In conclusion, living the impossible life that Christ has called us to live is not easy, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can love our enemies in the workplace and beyond. It is a discipline that requires us to reflect, pray, and forgive, but it is possible because we have the love of God in our hearts.