Luke 6:28 TPT
[28] When someone curses you, bless that person in return. When others mistreat and harass you, accept it as your mission to pray for them.
The standard for a follower of Christ is always higher than that of all others. The decision to submit to and follow Christ is one that the world has been set up to fight and oppose. You are taking a position that the world will not accept or understand, because you are in effect telling the world that it no longer has any hold or attraction for you. For the devil who has been in the business of stealing, killing and destroying, as well as distracting, for as long as the earth has been in place, this is his area of experience and expertise, and I cannot defeat him on his own turf. Ask Adam and Eve; they heard God speak, yet the devil made them doubt what they had heard.
In order to win and defeat the devil, the fight has to be a different kind from the one he is used to winning, and under an authority that he is not able to defeat. This is where the question of salvation must be asked and answered. No matter how long you live on earth, you are atill subject to the nature and power of sin. The moment you give your life to Christ, there is new management in place, and new pursuits and priorities are now the norm. For those who are content to follow the crowd, or live under the standards of the world, the words of Jesus in the chapter from where the verse above is taken are clear: there is only woe and trouble ahead.
Check out the verses before the one above: those who are rich in this life only, as well as those who are content with themselves and have no room for God are mentioned. There are also those who laugh now, not caring about who hurts around them, and not willing to lend a helping hand to bless others; Jesus says that having received all their happiness in this life only, grief and wailing will come to them. The sorrow and pain awaiting those who are always seeking the praise, applause and honour of men is also mentioned. It then means that the opposite of all the above is true: if I am subject to different laws, there will be different consequences.
This is why the audience of the verse above is important to consider. Jesus was speaking to men who had left all and followed Him. These instructions are not for the uncommitted crowd of people, but for those willing to make the sacrifices of surrender and followership.
When the foundation is right, what comes out of me resembles my ownership. If someone curses me, I am unable to respond the same way, except to bless the person in return. If anyone mistreats or wants to harass me, I accept it as my mission to pray for them. I live by higher rules, because I am subject to higher authorities now. My response is a reflection of my relationship. What is yours? God's time of favour is here.
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