Happy Saturday

LOVE

Loving our neighbor includes loving our enemies as we love ourselves. Why? Because this is the way the Father loves them. But aren’t they wicked? What if they are ungrateful? Perhaps they are both, but the Father “is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” And so must we be. Jesus says His Father is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. And aren’t we glad of that for our own sakes? We should genuinely love our enemies because loving them is being like our Father. There is no room for hate and viciousness. There is no room for revenge and retaliation. There is no room for desiring the misfortune of others. 

 

It was common to say about ‘sinners’ or ‘evil’ people “Love them with the love of Jesus!” which often meant to not really love them at all. You could despise them; you could hate them; you could wish on them great pain and misfortune, but you could still love them with the love of Jesus. This is not real love but a pretence. It is an attempt to check off the Love Your Neighbor box on your list of rules and get credit for it.  God does not love us because we are particularly lovable; He does not love us only if we keep His commandments; He does not love us because we are just like Him. Our Father in Heaven loves us in spite of our weaknesses, our sins, and our failures to be kind to one another. In spite of who we are or what we have done, I believe He loves those among us who are viewed as unlovable. God loves us, groans with us, and promises to use every trial for our highest, greatest good. The bible commands the people of God to “love thy neighbor” and most people find this easy when your neighbor is lovable. The bible goes a step further: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” This is significantly more difficult to achieve. It’s said that it’s nearly impossible to harbor animosity toward someone for whom you are praying.