44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
We live in world that all too often says "Treat others as they treat you". And it is so easy to get caught up in that mentality which dictates that some people just plain are "too bad to love" and it is downright foolish to befriend those who are "against you".
Think about a Bible believing Christian who wants to stand up for what he or she believes in. There is no doubt that such a person will face questions on how unreasonable his faith is and it is plain too narrow-minded to think that there is only one way to heaven. Such a person will no doubt have enemies who think that the world would be a better place without such people who spoke of sin, hell and the coming judgement.
When faced with such oppostition, the natural tendency is to think, if not pray "Oh God! Judge them!". We might be even so full of faith like the disciples of Christ who said "Lord do you want us to call down fire on them as Elijah did?".
But Jesus in the sermon on the mount teaches just the opposite. No matter, how strong the opposition, how bad the enemy - we are not given the choice to hate! In fact, Jesus goes to the other end of the spectrum and says that we are to pray for such people.
Why? Because, we are to show the same love that God shows on the unrighteous who do not acknowledge him. It would be a simple thing for God to plain destroy those who hate him or blaspheme His holy name. But no. He understands that man is all too weak and frail to bear His anger.
Let's make that choice daily to live a life free from hatred. Let's determine in our hearts that we will still choose to love no matter what we get in return. And we can be sure the Father in heaven will look down and smile at us and say "There goes my son. There goes my daughter".
God Bless!
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