Step 8: Love Your Enemies Willingness: Luke 6
STEP 8: We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31
After having taken our personal inventory and humbled ourselves to remove our shortcomings, we are set to take further action by attempting to right our wrongs. Jesus gives us some strong advice on how to do so during His Sermon on the Mount:
But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Luke 6:27-28 NLT
As we make our list of all those we harmed, we must also include those with whom we have a difficult relationship or those who have hurt us as well. This can be very hard to do, but we need to clean the slate entirely to show ourselves as a new creation in Christ.
If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! Luke 6:32-33 NLT
To fully work a program and to show that a miraculous change is happening within us, we need to do the very hard work of being different than the way we used to be by becoming willing to make amends even in the most difficult of situations. Remember this step says, “…became willing…”. It’s a process toward willingness and with mindful pray, God can help prepare us for these very important amends.
Key Verse for Step 8
Love your enemies! Do good to them. Give to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
Examine your heart
- It can be so very difficult to make amends to those who have hurt us. Is there anything the group can do to help you become willing?
- Do you have any encouraging stories about the amends process? If so, please share with the group.
Prayer
Dear Lord, I want to show the other people in my life the same grace You have offered me. As a make my list of all the people I have harmed, please help me to become willing to make the amends that I need to without considering any of the wrongs committed against me. I want to show your grace and love through me. Please help me do so. In Jesus’ holy name we pray—Amen.