Reading your Bible for today August 29

August 29: Matthew 5:43-48

KJV Key Verse: Matthew 5:46
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Devotion:
How many people have told you to love your enemies? I bet not too many! We tend to follow the edict to love our friends because they are our friends and hate our enemies because they hate us. But how would we ever get out of that circle of hate if nobody wanted to make the first move? Someone somewhere has to make the first move so the distrust or bad feelings may be broken.

What do you think life would be like if God had not made the first move to show us His love? Who would have had to pay for our sins? Who would be the one standing up and admitting they did something wrong? Without some sort of goal to look forward to, nobody is going to want to make the first move. If we present ourselves as people who nobody can trust or like, then nobody is going to want to trust or like us. Yet if we present ourselves as likeable people that can be trusted, we are making that first move.

You see, it does not have to be a case of going out and buying an enemy a new car to show them you love them. We can demonstrate love in so many ways and we need to because the world is full of very different people. If we are able to at least show the people who do not like us that there is a side to us they will like, then they may want to look for that good side. Yes, there are going to be those who just refuse to even look for any good side, but that should not stop us from showing it.

God continues to show us His love every day by continuing to make sure the world continues to exist and support us! He does have the power to destroy the world in just the same way as He made the world, yet He chose to promise us He would continue to make sure this world “works” so we can continue to live in hope even when we do not show it.

Points to Ponder:
Do you show others you can be liked?

Do you see just how much Christ loves us?