As I sit and write, it is Tuesday night and election coverage is in full swing.

No one knows at this point which candidate will win and as you read this, we still may not know.

A political correspondent has just announced that America seems more divided than ever.

That likely is not a surprising announcement to any, but it is an unfortunate reality in which we live.

It seems that now, more than ever, we could use a great reminder of the words that Jesus spoke considering how to interact with those who are considered enemies.

In a country so divided, that has fought a political battle that has felt like it has been going on for ages, how can a bridge possibly be built?

In Luke 6:27 Jesus taught, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies …”

Conventional wisdom says that an enemy is an enemy for a reason, and yet Jesus is commanding us to love them!

As countercultural and shocking as that might sound, the real difficulty may lie in how we are to actually do that. How does one begin to change their heart in such a way toward those who have previously been responsible for great hurt and offense?

Jesus followed up this command with three phrases laid out in a style often referred to as synonymous parallelism.

That means these three following phrases were meant to restate “Love your enemies” but using different words. Jesus says, “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Jesus, knowing that we would struggle to be obedient to this command, gives us three great examples of what loving your enemy looks like.

Do good to those, bless those, and pray for those who hate you, curse you, and mistreat you.

Our fleshly temptation is to do the exact opposite.

Our impulses often scream to repay evil with evil, to hold a grudge as long and as fiercely as possible.

We want to be the ones to put others in their place, to knock them down a peg, to give them what we think they deserve. Jesus says love them, do good to them, bless them, and pray for them.

Our heart’s cry is often not what it should be in these situations.

Instead of shouting, “Yes, Lord Jesus. I will obey your words!” we respond like a toddler crying out, “But I don’t want to!” We want our will to be done and try to justify why it should be done.

In the coming days and months that lie before us, Christians will have a great opportunity to walk out these words of Jesus and bring forth a shining light of love.

In the coming days and months that lie before us, Christians NEED to walk out these words of Jesus and bring forth a shining light of love.

My prayer is that no matter which candidate wins, that we would not lose sight of what God is calling us to do. That history would look back upon this time favorably as when loved prevailed, when the division in our country was healed, and when Christ was exalted above all else!