Faith & Insight You can choose to love your enemies

Jesus taught His followers to love God and to love their neighbors. He taught "love your enemies" too.

Can He be serious? Does He expect His disciples to have warm and fuzzy feelings for those who intentionally wrong them? If not, what can He possibly mean?

Jesus went on to clarify His comments, "do good to those who hate you ... do to others as you would have them do to you." This rule is still golden. It works.

Love is not a warm and fuzzy feeling. Love is proactive. It is selfless. It promotes the best interests of others. Love is doing to others as you would have them do to you, regardless of how you "feel" about them.

You can choose to bless those who curse you. You can pray for those who mistreat you. You can choose to repay evil with good and to do good to all, even to your enemies.

Imagine what life would be like if everyone sought to promote the best interests of others. Our world would be much more like heaven and much less like hell.

Our Lord's words are challenging. They are not easy to always practice.

In order to promote our best interests, Jesus denied Himself and took up His cross. He calls upon us to do the same.

• Ken Haskins is pastor of First Christian Church in Carson City.