Welcome to 15th Street church of Christ of Pompano Beach, Florida

Home :: About Us :: Location :: Schedule :: Soul Food :: Ministries :: Activities :: Photo Gallery :: Contact Us

When They Don’t Like You

Anthony B. Campbell, Minister

"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that persecute you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

Matthew 5:44

Child of God, I’ve got news for you. In case you didn’t know, everybody does not like you. It saddens me to say that, in this lifetime, you and I will have some enemies. There are some people who, for whatever reason, do not or will not like you, and will try to hinder your progress on the job, in school, in society, and/or even in the church. But you say, "I am a nice person. Why would anyone have a problem with me?" Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ walked this earth as a righteous man who treated everyone with kindness and compassion but, as you know, even he had some enemies. They talked about him, tried to trick him, lied on him, and even crucified him. So, if the son of God, the Savior of the world had enemies, don’t you think that his disciples will have some too? Nevertheless, how should we, as God’s children, deal with those who do not like us? Jesus is very clear in his answer to this question.

LOVE THEM. Yes, child of God, you must love those who do not even "like" you. In our carnal minds, that does not make sense. Why (and how) in the world would you love someone who does not even like you? For one thing, God wants us to love like he does – unconditionally. Just think about how many people (and maybe even you) mistreat, disobey and disrespect God sometimes. Nevertheless, he still loves us, provides for us and makes a way for us to be saved. If God can still love us when we, based on our actions, show we don’t love him; then, we, through his power can learn to love those who do not like us.

In addition to being like God, there is also a reward that comes with loving your enemies. As a child of God, believe it or not, it will require a lot of energy on your part to go around not liking someone. You would actually have to resist the Holy Spirit and the word of God. That requires quite a bit of effort and is a burden that you should not want to carry. When you love our enemies as Christ teaches, you actually have one less thing to worry about or concern yourself with. This, in turn, releases you to experience the blessings of peace, joy, contentment and forgiveness. Which would you prefer: worry or peace of mind?

Loving those who do not like you is not an easy task. Nevertheless, it does not change his command. So, how do you love someone who does not like you? Jesus says, bless them (be kind to them in word and deed), do good to them (treat them how you would like to be treated) and pray for them.