“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
Luke 6:35 NLT
How contrary is this to the natural, carnal, selfish mind!
I immediately think of politics, where you might easily find some of the loudest people spouting off about “religious values and morality” with judgemental fingers pointing at the sins of others (trying foolishly to try and enforce their own beliefs and values into others who do not agree) — but who also vehemently oppose funding or help or assistance that doesn’t help themselves or further their own agenda. No matter where you sit politically, it is probably easy to see this about others. But are we willing to see it about ourselves, and change?
Are we willing to not only half heartedly ask God to help us with this — but fully surrender and trust Him when an opportunity to love those who are so very different from us? And when I say love them, I’m talking about not with just our thoughts, words and prayers, but with our time, our involvement, and our money.
The Word of God hits at the heart of things. How can we say we love others, but only do for those who we feel are aligned and similar to ourselves! What kind of self worship is it to only love and sort those like ourselves! What kind of mammon worshiping capitalism is it to profit of of those like ourselves and penalize those who are not!
Lord, help us, because these battles are clearly not won by the flesh but by the power of your Holy Spirit. Write upon our hearts your ways so that we are truly willing, discipline us gently into the light, and lead us down that narrow path for your glory and honor. Amen.
Harold J. Ballinger 