Scripture speaks of helping an enemy and "heaping burning coals of fire on his head." This seems to imply revenge, yet the Hebrew idiom indicates otherwise.

God appreciates when we show concern for others, developing the maturity to overlook the slights others have made to us. Love sets an example for others.

Jesus set the bar very high when it comes to love. We no longer live for ourselves, but to Christ, who commands us to love everyone, including our enemies.

The opposite of selfishness is not self-hatred, but mature self-love, loving ourselves as a responsible, caring parent would (or should) love a growing child.

As the Good Samaritan took pity on what normally would be his adversary, we are obligated to be sensitive to the needs of those around us, enemy and friend.

We are obligated to show compassion and mercy to all, refraining from gossip, exercising righteous judgment, forgiving others and applying the Golden Rule.

God does not love everybody equally. Nowhere does He tell us to prefer the ungodly world. Though He tells us to love our enemies, but not to be affectionate.

Love doesn't become 'love' until we act. If we don't do what is right, the right feeling will never be formed; emotions are largely developed by our experiences.

Love is the first fruit of the Spirit, the one trait of God that exemplifies His character. The Bible defines love as both what it is and what it does.

An irrational fear of loss prevents the development of agape love — we fear that keeping God's commandments will cause us to lose something valuable.

Paul fought against discord by reminding the brethren that the church is united in Christ, and that He requires His followers to show love to each other.

Without the gift of God's Holy Spirit, it is impossible to understand the kind of love which Christ commanded of His disciples.

A native practice involves leaving a young man on a remote island with only a bow and arrows until he learns to become a man, and God does something similar.

We need to nurture fellowship with our spiritual siblings, forgiving others as Christ forgave, steadfastly resisting pride and division within the church.

Jesus said the greatest commandments were Lord toward God and neighbor. There is no connective between the first and second clauses; they cannot be separated.

The marriage covenant was designed to bring incomplete components of the God image together in one flesh, from which other relationships developed.

I Corinthians 13 describes the assaying instrument to detect the purity of love. Our need for love never ends as we move through the sanctification process.

This well-known parable describes working compassion as contrasted to selfishness. It also clarifies just who is our neighbor.

Similar to the way people pull together in times of crisis, we must also have a goal, a vision of the finish line, in order to overcome and grow.

One definition of sin is 'missing the mark,' as hamartia denotes. Unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, we have failed to reach our goal.

Our hurtful words can create scars that last longer than any physical scar that sticks and stones may cause. Christians must harness the power of the tongue.

In John 13, when our Savior washed His disciples' feet, He taught them that He was willing to accept the task designated to the lowest of the servants.

Christ counsels us to love our enemies in order that we may be children of God, demonstrating not only His mercy but also our sonship by being peacemakers.

We give peace offerings today through living sacrifice, keeping God's law out of love and to glorify Him rather than just to perform duty.

God has provided the God-plane marriage relationship to teach us how to submit to one another, sacrificing our self-centeredness for the benefit of our spouse.

The movie Ben-Hur captures the essence of the time and ministry of Christ. By letting go of anger and hatred, we take on the yoke of Jesus Christ.

The eyes of the world are on those who seek to be God's servants. Consider these stories of people whose inspiring examples serve as witnesses to God's character.

It is impossible to become perfect without having mercy or compassion. Jesus' command to become perfect includes showing compassion to our enemies.

Reaping good fruit does not happen immediately. If we feel we are not reaping, we must consider that we might be reaping some negative things we have sown.

The humble attitude exemplified by Jesus in footwashing shows the mind of God. God expects us to follow Christ's example of loving others, flaws and all.

In Paul's listings of virtues, meekness always appears near the end, reflecting its difficulty. Meekness is the gentle, quiet spirit of selfless devotion.

When we accepted God's calling, we trusted in His ability to fend off the evil influences of the world as well as our deadly carnal nature.

God alone has the prerogative of giving and taking life. As ambassadors of God's heavenly Kingdom, we do not take up arms on behalf of any nation on the earth.

True peacemaking means emulating Christ, which that involves promoting justice and righteousness, not merely avoiding conflict or appeasing by compromising.

The parable of the Good Samaritan depicts a way of life God intends all His called-out Saints to follow.

God's holy law gives love its foundation, stability, and evenness, preventing it from degenerating into a sappy, sentimental feeling.

Jesus encouraged His disciples by promising to send the Holy Spirit to empower them for the challenges of the Christian life, making us sensitive to God.

Jesus, showing the spirit of the law, warns against rash divorces, taking oaths, invoking God's name frivolously, realizing that a covenant is binding.

We are ambassadors in a foreign land, awaiting the return of Christ, when we will help our Warrior King subdue all the rebellious nations of the earth.

Jesus modeled the practice of foot-washing to demonstrate the need to be submissive to one another, to serve one another, including those who betray.

Our forgiveness from God is conditional, depending upon our forgiving others. It is an opportunity for us to extend grace, sacrificing as Christ did for us.

Our society is becoming increasingly violent. The sixth of the Ten Commandments covers crime, capital punishment, murder, hatred, revenge and war.

The valley-of-shadow imagery symbolizes the fears, trials, and tests needed to produce character, quality fruit, and an intimate trust in the shepherd.