Love Your Enemies
The challenge for saints; Love
Your Enemies!
Ye have heard that
it hath been said, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour, and hate thine
enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do
not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even
the publicans so? (Matthew 5:44-47) The common denominator
between the old and new is to love our neighbor. Imagine a sun that
would just warm the already converted and believing, and a rain that would only
water the crops of the faithful. Think for a second about a God who would only
allow health to his worshipers. If that would have been the case from the
creation of man, there would not be any free agency at all. Everyone would be
obedient, but for all the wrong reasons. No-one would be good out of love,
since love cannot grow when a knife is at ones throat. Children of God behave
like God. If we want to be joint-heirs with Christ, children of the Father,
we must prove our bonds with him by letting our rain shower, and rays of
sunshine reach everyone, indiscriminately. The enemy might be wicked. So much
more reason to pray for him, and to seek to bless him. With such an attitude
there will be many who are now not numbered among the Children of Israel who
will be touched by love, light, example and Spirit, and who will surrender
hands down to the truth. God will keep them warm and fed with everything created that works for the good of man. The converted must keep them loved, taught, and nourished by the good word. This teamwork between God and saints will convert millions and millions to the gospel of peace. Thus we can be peacemakers, and be called the children of God.
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