Loving Your Enemies, a sermon by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Soul Food Who doesn't love to listen to MLK?! Listen and read the text. You won't but you should. You assume you understand from the title of the speech, I'm sure you do NOT because you've never heard the entire text. At least keep reading now? Jesus said to love your enemies...he did not say to like them or approve of them. These are mere sentiments. This love Jesus speaks of is like one of the Greek words for love, 'agape' - a redemptive, universal, love that seeks nothing in return. "Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because God loves them. You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have agape in your soul". Love that last line! This has always been my karma, mindset. A birth defect. It's tough to comprehend or explain so I'm pleased to see it in print. I wish more people shared my world view. It's so super easy. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech - excerpt: "The Greek language comes out with another word for love. It is the word agape. And agape is more than eros; agape is more than philia; agape is something of the understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill for all men. It is a love that seeks nothing in return. It is an overflowing love; it’s what theologians would call the love of God working in the lives of men. And when you rise to love on this level, you begin to love men, not because they are likeable, but because God loves them. You look at every man, and you love him because you know God loves him. And he might be the worst person you’ve ever seen." "And this is what Jesus means, I think, in this very passage when he says, "Love your enemy." And it’s significant that he does not say, "Like your enemy." Like is a sentimental something, an affectionate something. There are a lot of people that I find it difficult to like. I don’t like what they do to me. I don’t like what they say about me and other people. I don’t like their attitudes. I don’t like some of the things they’re doing. I don’t like them. But Jesus says love them. And love is greater than like. Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because God loves them. You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have agape in your soul. And here you come to the point that you love the individual who does the evil deed, while hating the deed that the person does. This is what Jesus means when he says, "Love your enemy." This is the way to do it. When the opportunity presents itself when you can defeat your enemy, you must not do it."
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Loving Your Enemies, a sermon by Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Listen, read: 'Loving Your Enemies', a most powerful sermon by Martin Luther King, Jr.