December 14 Loving the Unlovable Matthew 5:46
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:46)
I was reading some old Christmas Cards that we had saved from last year, and one really stood out for me. It said, “Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men.” I pondered how there can be so much hatred and division and misunderstanding, even among professing believers, when God loved us enough to sacrifice His Son for our sins. The message of this card, is not exactly what the angels proclaimed. The literal translation of “Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis is, And on earth peace to men of good will.” Well, it seems that Peace is for those of Good Will, for those who are kind and helpful to one another and for those who love their brothers and sisters and for those who follow the instructions of our Lord. So, how is it that I am to love the cruel and selfish and those who are so hate filled, do they get this peace too? Then I remembered Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies…and pray for them.” Am I a “Person of Good Will?” Am I bearing ill will towards my fellow men? Am I really a “Person of Good Will?” We are to Love our neighbors as we love ourselves and that is difficult to do, most of the time. As a Blood Bought Believer, it is my responsibility to love the unlovable and to witness for Christ to all, lovable or unlovable!! I realize that this calling is, indeed, a road that is steep, however, God will help us love the unlovable and to bear Peace and Good Will towards all! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!