Some people are just plain irritating!
I had a comment on a posting that I placed on Facebook a short time ago and I just wanted to lash out and call the person who wrote it a “jerk!” He insulted me after all. He had it coming to him, right? My next thought was to remove that person from my “friend” list. I didn’t need to be bothered by him anymore. Just then I heard a little voice telling me that I needed to calm down. How like God to speak in a still small voice. Then He reminded me of a familiar passage in Luke chapter 6. It teaches some interesting concepts like:
Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you. (Pray for their happiness.)
Lend without expecting repayment.
Give to anyone who asks.
When things are taken from you, don’t try to get them back.
These are NOT my natural tendencies! It seems so backwards. What person in their right mind would follow these instructions? And why? Christ said that there would be rewards for us in heaven if we do these things. I am thinking that no reward seems worth all that trouble. BUT, there is a greater motivation to follow His advice. Christ alludes to it in the passage mentioned above. He essentially says that loving the lovable is easy. Everyone does that. But loving the unlovable is a ‘God–thing’. When we pray for those who hurt us (and not vengeful prayers mind you) then we reflect the character of God. We identify ourselves as God’s children. We represent our Father who loved us when we were unlovable (Romans 5:8). We represent our Savior who prayed for those who put Him on the cross (Luke 23:34). Is that enough motivation to “turn the other cheek” and give away the things we worked hard to posses? If not, consider this. When we implement “backwards philosophy” people will wonder why. They may even ask questions. Those questions provide the perfect opportunity to point them to our Savior. What greater reward can there be than seeing someone in heaven and knowing that you played a part in helping them get there? Now THAT sounds like a worthy cause!
(P.S. If you are wondering about that facebook "friend", he is still on my list - on probation!)
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