MORNING MANNA 5-29-21
RESPONDING TO HATE
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 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?” – Matthew 5:44-46
Born into slavery in Virginia, Booker T. Washington was nine years old when the Civil War ended and his family was freed. Throughout his life, he dealt with discrimination and opposition, struggling to find acceptance and a way forward. Despite all that he endured, Washington refused to abandon his faith in God or his determination to treat others properly. He said, “I will not permit any man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.”
We sometimes are tempted to use the actions of others or of society as a whole as an excuse for our own bad behavior. But Jesus calls us to a better way of living. Our heart attitude toward others does not have to be dictated by their treatment of us. Even the worst people we know who treat us horribly and say awful things about us are to be loved rather than hated. If we allow ourselves to become bitter toward our enemies, we are failing to show them Christian love and the example of Jesus, and we are damaging our own spiritual health.
While it may be satisfying to let someone have a piece of our mind or to condemn those who oppose us, they are instead to be loved and even pitied. Jesus pointed out that God does not reserve the blessings of the natural world just for His children, but freely gives them to all. In the same manner, we are to demonstrate grace and mercy even to our enemies. The way we treat those who hate us reveals a great deal about the depth of our obedience to God. (Daily in the Word).
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx.
