If anyone should be saying that "I am loving God," and should be hating his brother, he is a liar; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen can not be loving God whom he has not seen.
1 John 4: 20, Concordant New Testament
I passed by a billboard the other day which struck at my heart as it should many self proclaimed Christians. The sign said simply...Christians love their enemies. Really? Well, I'll tell you, there is a entire world out there that probably would not agree with that statement. I do not agree with it, and I'm a believer. Let's be clear, I DO NOT disagree with the loving our enemies statement, I just feel that as believers we have fallen far short of what was expected of us. Sure, we might out on our Sunday best and shake our brothers hand, but all that goes out the window as soon as someone cuts us off in traffic. I am in no way attempting to be condemning here, I am simply bringing up what Jesus desired for His followers. It can be said that Jesus is not shown in us when we treat our brethren badly. However, I am of the opinion that Jesus never leaves us. Therefore, He is in us even when we deny our brother. Is He approving of our actions? Probably not. Yet if we listen to what the apostle Paul has proclaimed, Jesus dwells in us no matter what {Galatians 2:20}. How is it that we, as believers, can convince the world of the truth of the indwelling Christ when we treat others in questionable ways? My first question to them would be, is this how Jesus taught you to treat people? Of course, most believers know that Jesus was pretty clear when it came to how we're supposed to treat one another. With the same love that He shows us. It is through our love for the brethren that God will be glorified {Matthew 5:16}. I will be the first to admit that I have fallen short when it comes to loving those around me. I won't go through a list of those I've considered unlovable, only that it exists. There are those who have wronged me, insulted me and treated me badly. My response has always been the one taken from the world, get mad and get even. Oh, there are times when I have given grace to my brethren, but it's definitely an area I need to pay more attention to.
Thus let your light shine in front of men, so that they may perceive your ideal acts and should glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
Matthew 5: 16, Concordant New Testament
It's really not a big shock to me as to why we choose not to bestow our brethren with love as Jesus commanded. We think we know better. When someone treats us wrongly, instead of showing the grace of the Lord we have already convicted them in our hearts. How much better would we feel if we were to absolve what others have done to us and allowed the Lord to deal with it all? Do we trust Him enough to do just that? I know that I haven't. My list of accused and condemned brethren is quite long. Yet the Fathers intent is to transform that list of accused into a roster of those blessed through His love and grace. I could have shown them love, but I thought my way was better. After all, those who practice wrongdoing are guilty right? Well, that kind of reminds me of a story of a pot and a black kettle. At some point in my life, I was that guy who treated someone wrongly. Was it my expectation, then, that God should condemn me for doing so? If so He never got that memo. For all of the brethren that I have mistreated, the Father is the One that showed me His love. How much so will He also show love to those I treat wrongly? We believers do not have a monopoly on the blessings of the Lord. Nor are we immune from those who will treat us in a bad way. What we can be assured of is that when we love those the world deems to be unlovable, it is Christ who is showing Himself through us.
~Scott~
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