The bible remands us that Loving one another does not mean loving
only those believers to whom we are naturally attracted. It means
loving every believer. The Apostle John said that loving one another
is the proof that we have been truly follower of Jesus despite the fact that our personalities are so
different, we are naturally attracted to some people and not
attracted to others. God made us different from
one another, and therefore we have different likes and dislikes.
Jesus did not say that we must like every believer; He said that we
must love them.
Right now, God may be speaking to you
about someone you do not love. It may be a relative, a fellow church
member, or someone else. You may be saying, "I know that I
should love that person, but how do I do it?
i know that it is easy to say that I cannot control my feelings, but I can control my will. I cannot
make myself have a feeling of love toward someone, but I can choose
to love that person. If I make that choice and hold to it, I will
find that my feelings will, in time, follow the choice of my will.
The important thing to remember is this: I am controlled by the
decision of my will and not by my feelings.
You have heard that it was said, 'You
shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love
your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate
you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."
Matthew 5:43-44
it is a challenging when we read that; "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other
also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your
tunic" philosophically this statement can expressed as " to go out of your way to avoid a
nasty confrontation. Even though provoked, instead of lashing out,
you turn the other cheek. In fact, I think that's pretty close to
what this sentence means in Jesus' teaching. Remember, the context is
enemies, those who insult us and seek to embarrass us".
Jesus' point is that we are to avoid hitting back, the natural
human reaction. How can we love when we hit back with something that
will wound our opponent? Husbands and wives sometimes get into
arguments; tensions that may have been simmering for years boil over
once again. And with the boiling comes anger, and with anger a
willingness not just to defend, but to strike back. To get an
advantage. To have the last word. To wound.
Though Jesus' instruction to turn the other cheek is intended in
the arena with a sworn enemy, the principle applies to every area of
our lives. Don't retaliate. Don't hit back. Don't move from a
position of prayerful love for your enemy to a drop-down, drag-out
fight. Love doesn't retaliate. Love seeks the enemy's good (1
Corinthians 13:4-7).
The second command is harder yet to understand. "If someone
takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic" But we need love
him and pray for him. The bible wants us to avoid to get grabby and nasty and accusing behavior. Through the massage of this Good Friday we need to ask the Spirit of Jesus to working through you he can teach you
to love your enemies -- even at their ugliest.
- "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full."
- "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful"
Therefore this Good Friday Lord, help me to
take your words seriously and not discount them. Make your point deep
in my heart. Teach me your mercy. In Jesus' name to;
- Love your/my enemies
- Do good to them
- Lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
AMEN
HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY 2015
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