Truth 17

The Reward For Loving All

We looked at how Christ called us to flip the script on how we treat our enemies.  We even gave you some tactics to how to do this over on our ACCESS page.  Today we look at the rewards that come from going beyond the norm.  What benefits come into play when we love our enemies?  What do we get out of helping those who have hated us?  Find out below.

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)

The Identity of God's Child
Based on the above scripture, the very relationship we have with God is on the line as we interact with those who love us the least.  We are the children of God when we love our enemies, do good to those who hate, bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us. That's a tall order to begin with, much less with the condition of our sonship or daughterhood in the Kingdom of God being on the line.   Why would Jesus give such a high promise, which also indicates a heavy consequence? 

God sees us all as His
God loves everyone.  The sinner and the saint. The murderer and the caretaker.  The thief and the giver.  The lier and the priest.  The adulterer and the faithful.  He sees us all as His creation.  He formed each and everyone of us in our mothers' wombs.  He did this understanding that each of us had the opportunity to take the challenges of life, the blessings from above, and the attacks from below and either fail in them or rise to meet them.  He knew that some of us would fall into sin.  And He knew that some of us would make our bed in hell and choose to live a life destined for damnation.  He did it and He paid the ultimate sacrifice for them and for those who choose Him. Because He loves all of us.

Becoming Like God and Unlike The World
We are commanded to have the mind of Christ in us (Philippians 2:5) If we are to be like God, we will love others no matter what.  We are living as His children set apart from the world that hates others.  To be like God is to be unlike the world.  The world just skates by.  If they don't return hate for hate, they respond with apathy and seclusion.  Our mindset and heartbeat must be different than this world.  Their is no reward for hating others.  No relationship is formed.  No blessing is given.  No good thing can come out of hate, apathy and aversion. We must love people with the mind and heart that Christ loved the adulteress, the thief on the cross, the tax collector and so on.

The Reward of Loving Our Enemies
When we start loving our enemies, the rewards of heaven will be poured out on us.  When we start loving our enemies, relationships will be formed.  Souls will be saved.  Lives will be changed.  We'll see a harvest that is untold crop up all around us and we will immediately be able to fulfill the calling that God has put to us all, to be witnesses to all nations and people, even the ones that don't like us. 

​The rains and sunshine that God promises to all will come our way in plenty.  Because, while God promises His light and rain to all, He shares His brightest rays and most abundant rain for those who draw near to Him and His cause.  If we want our lives to be illuminated with fresh wisdom and knowledge and understanding.  We'll see the gifts and fruit of the spirit pop up all around us.  We'll be in the land of Promise that God said we'd attain.  All because we chose to live beyond the norm and set aside our hate.

Remember that those who are called the children of God are also called peacemakers.  To love someone, we have to make peace with them.  We have to set aside old and new grudges equally. It's time to heal scars and close up fresh woulds.  It's time to mend fences and put down roots of friendship.  When we start doing that, we'll see the blessings of God poured out into our lives and the lives of others.