AN UNEXPECTED LOVE
Matthew 5:43-44
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
It would seem strange to most people if I told them that hunters are the biggest conservationist in the world. The very people that enjoy the harvest of game animals certainly couldn't care for those same animals enough to make sure they, as well as many other species are preserved... it just doesn't make any sense... but it's true. There are 10's of millions of dollars spent by hunters annually for conservation. It's a relationship that helps both ways... the hunter and the hunted. It's the unexpected love.
4 years ago I woke one morning to see a friend's post that spoke of how bad President Trump is and how he is scarier than any story ever written by Stephen King. I thought it was interesting that some people put a great amount of stock in what Stephen King thought about politics, so I continued reading. The "lady" wrote that all president Trump supporters are personally destroying our country. I asked the question, "how am I personally destroying our country"... the response was vulgar, abusive and very aggressive.
After a small back and forth, which I remained calm and caring, I was asked, "are you on drugs?". I had made it clear that I had prayed often for President Obama while he was in office, even though I disagreed with much of his policy... more insults in response. Then this person went on many of my morning devotional posts and wrote things to hurt me personally.
What is our response when someone lashes out to hurt or destroy us? Our first response it generally to fight back... to hurt them as bad as they have hurt me... or worse. But is that right? Absolutely not. Matthew 5:44 says, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
The scripture makes it clear that to love your neighbor (whether they are "lovable" or not) requires a self denial. In other words God's pure love is a selfless love that thinks of others before it thinks of self. It follows that the only way one can truly love... another, with this quality of love, is with the help of God, we cannot do it on our own. Paul explains that it is the fruit of His Spirit in Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness"
We need to remember that we will never win someone over to Christ by hating them, by fighting back or by attempting to belittle them. They will only see Jesus in us, if we love them no matter how they treat us. Our greatest example of this is Jesus Himself.
Jesus came to earth knowing He would be hated, and He was. He continued to love even as He was abused and He loved right to the point of asking His Father to forgive those that were killing Him, as He died on the cross. He loved Judas the evening that He was betrayed by him. He loved Peter, when Peter denied Him... not once, but 3 times.
There is our example. An unexpected Love.
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