Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I tell you, love your enemy…”
This is never more evident than in the act of forgiveness. Can you forgive someone you don’t particularly like? How about a politician with different views than your own? Maybe someone who you were just learning to trust who betrayed you?
This is happening in the political arena as I write this. People in glass houses throwing stones at each other; remembering past indiscretions; accusations of evil; and now we’re supposed to take sides?
How, in these situations, do we stand with anybody? Forgiveness – Let it go!
In this world so many lines are drawn and it’s nearly impossible to show love to your enemy – but for God; with God all things are possible. This is where the Christian shines. This is where God can be glorified. This puts the teachings of Christ to the test…can you forgive when your enemy is your leader? Can you let it go when the one who failed you wants to serve you? Can you, in an act of grace, separate the actions from the person and hate the act but love the person? Can you love them like Christ loves you?
Jesus said to love your enemies…why? Matthew 5:45 “…that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
This is what God does! He lets go of the things He disdains about us to love the person He wants us to be – the person beyond the sin.
Romans 5:8 “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Christ does not love us for who we were or who we are but for who we will be with Him! He died to pay for our sins to let go of them, not to measure us by them. Do the same for others.
Our past is a glass house. If we judge others by their past we will be judged by ours. If we want to be judged for who we are in Christ we must look at others the way God sees them. We are a work in progress and to progress we must let go of the past.
As Christians we do not vote because one person is better than the other; we vote in a way so that we can be held accountable by the issues. A vote says what is important to you is in agreement with the candidate’s position.
Hate no one…forgive everyone…and remember now that the election is over God was not surprised, He is in charge.