Jesus is very clear about how we are to treat people who hate us: We are to be kind to them and pray for them.

We are not to seek revenge in any way or to curse them. We are to be kind to them and pray for them.

Praying means to be kind in our mind, not just in our words or actions.

There is no way that you can do either of those things (be kind and pray for people who hate you) without the help of God’s spirit.

Jesus said that in being kind to hateful people, you heap hot coals on their head. The idea here is not to burn them but to make them feel such intense discomfort at how they’ve treated you that they start to feel guilty. True, some people will be beyond feeling guilt at that level (these are the nearly unsalvageable ones, and there are more and more of them emerging every day; God will deal with them himself), but those who do regret their behaviour are taking the first steps towards repentance.

We should still be kind to and pray for the nearly unsalvageable ones. There’s still hope for them, however faint. I was once nearly unsalvageable and God dealt with me directly. Then, after I was born again, I remembered the people who were kind to me even as I hated them. I still remember those people and thank God for them, and God blesses them. No good deed ever goes unrewarded, and being kind to people who are unkind to you is the highest of good deeds. In fact, it is the highest achievement of civilization.

It is our job as born-again believers to lead people to repentance, as Jesus did. It is not our job to earn more money than we need; it is not our job to accumulate possessions beyond our basic need; it is not our job to strive to be respected in our biological families or to become pillars of our communities – our job, as was that of Jesus, is to do whatever it takes to bring people to repentance. The final step is theirs (you can’t force, push, goad, frighten, threaten or legislate people into genuine repentance), but you can at least do whatever it takes to lead them to the brink.

Here’s the best way: Be kind and pray blessings.

That is all.