Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
RAISING A “YES , YES” AND “NO, NO” GENERATION, NO. 10 WHO ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER?
Matthew 5:45, 46: “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. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?”
Men, are we teaching ourselves and our families to love our enemies? To love people that already love us is not hard to do, unless it involves a measure of sacrifice. Real love is much more than just smiling and saying you love someone, as important as that is. Real love shows acts of kindness towards others.
The person lying in hospital loves you, but they really need a visit from you. In this way you return your love to them. The person confined to a wheelchair loves you, but in order to show your love to them it may require you showing some practical assistance to help them negotiate difficult circumstances.
But even in all this we are doing what is normal and expected of those who love each other. In this matter, Jesus said, “What reward have ye?” We have the rewards of knowing we did what was right to do, plus the gratefulness of the person we helped. But the biggest rewards from God are to those who, through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, show actions of love to those who literally hate them. This is what God the Father sits up and takes notice of. God has special rewards for them.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
