You Don’t Have To Be The Judge

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

June 28th Sermon, Day 1

When someone hurts us, something inside us wants to make it right. We replay the moment, rehearse what we should have said, and sometimes imagine what we might still do. That desire for justice is deeply human. But Jesus, in Matthew 5:43-44, flips the script entirely. He tells His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them.

This isn't a call to pretend the hurt didn't happen. It's an invitation to stop carrying something that was never meant to be yours. God is already the judge. He sees everything. Nothing escapes His attention. When we choose to love instead of retaliate, we're not letting someone off the hook. We're handing the situation to Someone far more capable of handling it than we are.

That's actually good news. You don't have to figure out how to make things right. You don't have to carry the weight of unresolved wrongs. You can place the person, the pain, and the outcome into God's hands and trust that He will act according to His perfect justice. That kind of trust isn't weakness. It's one of the most courageous things a follower of Jesus can do.

Bible Verse

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:43-44

Reflection Question

Is there a situation in your life where you have been holding onto the role of judge, and what might it look like to hand that role back to God?

Quote

"Nothing escapes God's attention."

Prayer

Father, I confess that I often want to handle things myself rather than trust You. Help me to release the weight of unresolved wrongs and trust that You are a just and faithful God. Amen.

You Are Not Doing This Alone

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

June 21st Sermon, Day 5

By now, you may be thinking: this all sounds right, but I am not sure I am capable of it. Loving someone who hurt you deeply, praying for them sincerely, releasing bitterness, maintaining grace without losing yourself. That is a lot to ask. And honestly, you are right. On your own, it is too much.

But here is the most freeing truth of this entire journey: you were never meant to do it alone. We do not love enemies because we are naturally good at it. We love enemies because Christ's love flows through us when we stay connected to Him. When you remember how much you have been forgiven, forgiveness becomes possible. When you remember how patient God has been with you, patience becomes possible. When you remember that God loved you while you were still far from Him, loving someone who is far from you becomes possible.

This is not about trying harder. It is about staying closer to Jesus. His love is the source. You are simply the channel. Loving your enemy is not weakness. It may be one of the greatest demonstrations of spiritual strength you will ever show. And every time you choose it, you look a little more like the One who prayed from the cross, "Father, forgive them." You can do this. Not because you are strong enough, but because He is.

Bible Verse

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:44

Reflection Question

In what area of your life do you most need to stop trying to manufacture love on your own and instead ask God to let His love flow through you?

Quote

"We don't love enemies because we're naturally good. We can love enemies because Christ's love flows through us."

Prayer

Jesus, I cannot do this without You, and I am grateful I do not have to. Fill me with Your love today so that it overflows to the people I find hardest to love. Amen.

Love Without Losing Your Bountries

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

June 21st Sermon, Day 4

One of the biggest misunderstandings about loving your enemies is the idea that it means accepting harmful behavior or pretending the wrong never happened. That is not what Jesus taught, and it is not what He modeled. Jesus loved people deeply and honestly. He welcomed sinners and also spoke truth to them. He extended grace and also called people to change.

Love and truth were never in conflict for Him. They worked together. Forgiveness is not the same as trust. You can forgive someone and still maintain healthy distance. You can pray for someone and still acknowledge the real harm they caused. You can love someone and still pursue justice. These things are not opposites.

What Jesus is calling us away from is not self-protection. He is calling us away from becoming like the very thing that hurt us. When we respond to cruelty with cruelty, to hatred with hatred, we do not win. We just add more darkness to an already dark situation. Loving your enemy is a refusal to let their worst behavior become your identity. It is choosing to stay rooted in who God says you are, even when someone else is trying to pull you somewhere else. You can hold your boundaries and still hold onto grace. Both are possible. Both are necessary.

Bible Verse

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:44

Reflection Question

Where in your life might you be confusing forgiveness with the removal of necessary boundaries, or using the need for boundaries as a reason to avoid forgiveness altogether?

Quote

"Loving and praying for an enemy isn't enabling evil. It's refusing to become evil in response to evil."

Prayer

Lord, give me the wisdom to know the difference between protecting my heart and hardening it. Teach me to love with both grace and truth, just as You do. Amen.

What Happens When You Pray for an Enemy

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

June 21st Sermon, Day 3

Praying for someone who has hurt you might be the last thing you feel like doing. It can even feel dishonest, like you are pretending everything is fine when it is not. But here is what is remarkable about prayer. You do not have to feel it to start. You just have to be willing.

When you begin to genuinely pray for someone who has wronged you, something quietly shifts inside you. Not always immediately. But over time, prayer has a way of softening what bitterness has hardened. You begin to see that person a little differently. Not through your hurt, but through God's eyes. And God sees them as someone He loves, someone He died for, someone who is also broken and in need of grace.

It is difficult to keep hating someone you are sincerely praying for. That is not a coincidence. That is how God designed it. Prayer does not erase what happened. It does not mean you are pretending the harm was not real. It means you are choosing to hand that person over to God rather than keeping them locked in the prison of your resentment. Start small if you need to. One honest prayer. That is enough to begin.

Bible Verse

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:44

Reflection Question

Have you ever tried genuinely praying for someone who hurt you, and if so, what did you notice happening in your own heart over time?

Quote

"It's difficult to hate somebody when you are genuinely praying for them."

Prayer

God, I bring this person before You today, even though it is hard. I choose to trust You with them and with my own heart. Do what only You can do in both of us. Amen.

The Weight You Were Never Meant to Cary

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

June 21st Sermon, Day 2

Imagine picking up a heavy stone and carrying it with you everywhere you go. To work. To dinner. To bed. After a while, the stone does not just feel heavy. It starts to define how you move through life.

That is exactly what bitterness does. When someone wrongs us and we hold onto that resentment, we think we are punishing them. But most of the time, they have moved on. We are the ones still carrying the weight. Jesus knew this. His command to love our enemies was never just about the other person. It was also about protecting us. Bitterness quietly erodes our joy, strains our relationships, and hardens our hearts toward God and others.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in unjust imprisonment. When he walked out, he made a choice. He refused to carry bitterness with him, because he understood that leaving it behind was the only way to truly be free. You may not be able to control what someone did to you. But you can control what you carry forward. Releasing bitterness is not letting someone off the hook. It is letting yourself off the hook. It is choosing your future over your wounds. You were not made to carry that stone. You were made to walk free.

Bible Verse

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:44

Reflection Question

What has holding onto bitterness actually cost you, in your peace, your relationships, or your walk with God?

Quote

"Bitterness is like setting yourself on fire and hoping the smoke gets in your enemy's eyes."

Prayer

Father, I confess that I have been carrying weight You never intended for me to hold. Help me to release it into Your hands today and trust You with what I cannot fix on my own. Amen.