Monday, February 28, 2011

Random Thoughts- 34

Travelling in the desert city, a familiar sight captivated me often. Circles of beautiful flowers cultivated amidst roundabout signals. Thousands of vehicles ply around all through the day and I believe the sight is a blessing to everyone, small and big, rich and poor alike.
I caught a rare glimpse of the gardener yesterday, working hard despite the heat and the chaos all around. Wonder whether people cast a glance at him ever. It's part of his job, some may say; he's getting paid, others may add. Yet the flowers are the fruit of his labor; perhaps he deserves more than his pay; a pat on the back, for a job well done.

The fruit of your labor for the Kingdom of God may be enjoyed by many, but perhaps the appreciation that you receive may be little. But do not worry unduly about that. There's coming a day, not so far in the future, when you will certainly hear the Master's voice saying,
'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

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A look at the book of Judges- 3

A look at the book of Judges- 3- Ehud

And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." He said, "Keep silence!" And all who attended him went out from him. So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." So he arose from his seat. Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. When he had gone out, Eglon's servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, "He is probably attending to his needs in the cool chamber." So they waited till they were embarrassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there was their master, fallen dead on the floor. But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah. And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them. Then he said to them, "Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand." So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. (Judges 3:12-30)(NKJV)


Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years for sinning against God. But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man........... Moab was subdued by Ehud. And the land had rest for eighty years.

8 years of punishment by being subject to the King of Mesopotamia was followed by 18 years of servitude for doing evil again. Ehud, the new judge or deliverer that God raised up, acted with stealth and killed the enemy king Eglon.

Warring against the enemy is what we as believers have to do all the time.
How do we deal with the enemy of our souls, Satan, is a question that the Bible addresses very clearly. The armor of God is the prescription.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- (Ephesians 6:11-18)

The armor of God.....so very important. Hope you are wearing it this day.

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Sunday, February 27, 2011

A look at the book of Judges- 2

A look at the book of Judges- 2- Othniel

Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:5-11) (NKJV)


When the Israelites were travelling to Canaan from Egypt, God had warned them through Moses,
Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice,
and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods. (Exodus 34:12-16)

The Israelites broke their covenant with God and made covenants with the inhabitants of Canaan and as God said, they were a snare to them.

8 years of punishment here for the Israelites for disobeying God. God sold them into the hands of the king of Mesopotamia. When distressed, they cried out to the LORD and he raised up a deliverer for them: Othniel the son of Kenaz who delivered them by warring with the enemy king and the land had rest for 40 years.

We read of Othniel in the book of Joshua:
Caleb said, "He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife." So Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. (Joshua 15:16,17).
The same has been mentioned in Judges Chapter 1.

Caleb was a warrior and wanted his son-in-law to be one as well. So he put forth a challenge and Othniel took it up. God gave him victory and Caleb's daughter Achsah became his wife.

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)

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A look at the book of Judges

A look at the book of Judges- 1- The need for Judges

Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. (Judges 2:11-19) (NKJV)


It was sort of a chain reaction. A stubborn people forsook the Lord Almighty and served idols after the generation of Joshua had passed away . This angered God and he gave them into the hands of their enemies and they were plundered. When they suffered and were greatly distressed and groaned, the LORD had pity on them and raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. But the Israelites were stubborn and fell into idolatry again. And the sin-punishment-distress cries-God showing mercy-raising of judges-deliverance act was repeated again and again.

Even in our times, people are stubborn and cannot forsake idolatry, even after God, through his channels make them realize that it is wrong. They then go through the same chain reaction as the Israelites did. Most seem to ignore a punishment when actually it should have been a lesson thoroughly learnt.

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Saturday, February 26, 2011

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Words Of Jesus Devotionals-17

Words Of Jesus Devotionals - 17

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22, 23) (NKJV)


How's the lamp of your body, your eye? Is it good or is it bad? Talking about "the eye", we know how painful it is when we have problems with our eyes. A little speck of dust or a simple infection can cause such a lot of distress. And for a person who is blind, the situation is so very traumatic. But Jesus here is not speaking about physical problems of the eye. He's speaking of spiritual sickness which can be very damaging to a person, even to a believer in fact.

What's going into our eyes is very important. The things that we see. Every moment, except when we sleep, our eyes are always seeing things. Good things and bad things, important things and unimportant ones. The question here is whether we can filter out the bad while we meditate on the good? At home, in the streets, at work and at every other place, the bad things are at very close proximity. What bad can be there at home? Just switch on the television or log onto the net and your lamp of the body can be bombarded with immense filth. And not many, even believers can win over the temptations that come through these media.

Jesus said,
"If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
If we are constantly filling our insides with darkness that enters through the lamp of our body, the eye, very soon, the darkness will be great and our relationship with Jesus will be damaged.

Ask yourself a question this day! Is my eye good and seeking for good and pure things or is my eye bad and seeking for bad? It's a choice that each of us has to make for our own good. And may the Counselor, the Holy Spirit help us all to choose the good, so that our lives are full of light.

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Random Thoughts- 33

Can friends be a problem? You bet they can! Especially if they happen to be the ones on Social Networks. The requests come by the dozen each day and many of us just approve the "new friends", without even batting an eyelid. So here I was with more than 200 friends on Facebook. Sometime later, because of my hectic schedule, I couldn't log into the site for a while and then when I finally did, I found out that "my friends" there were a problem, because Facebook wanted me to identify my friends, so that my login be authenticated.
I failed because all the friends of mine that they put forward for me to identify I could hardly recognize.

Perhaps there must be a new definition to the word "friend", these days.
The Bible has a few definitions...
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

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Words Of Jesus Devotionals-16

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)(NKJV)

Busy investing? day in and day out? Well, here's a lesson or two from Jesus for all who crave for financial security. Invest in heaven, is the policy that he advices, whether you like it or not. And he gives a good reason. Laying up treasures on earth always has the minus point of it being temporary. How long can someone hold on to what he/she has amassed. When the Creator takes back the breath that he gave, earthly treasures are no longer an issue.

Investing in heaven/laying up treasures in heaven doesn't mean tithing or investing in Christian Ministries, but seeking things that are of eternal value.

The Apostle Paul writes,
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1,2)

How about investing in a few "crowns"?
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12)

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. (1 Peter 5:1-4)

The riches of heaven are for all who are part of the 1st resurrection and no one can stop them from enjoying that. No decay and no loss will come to these riches. Be that as it is, let us not forget the final sentence that Jesus said while ending this teaching of his. He said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."How very true.

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Monday, February 21, 2011

Words Of Jesus Devotionals-15

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:9-15) (NKJV)

Prayer is all about asking and Jesus here teaches his disciples a prayer that is succinct and powerful.
Father In Heaven, I pray that
1. your name be hallowed,
2. your kingdom may come,
3. your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
4. you give me my daily food (needs),
5. you forgive my sins as I forgive others,
6. you may not let any temptation come to me,
7. you deliver me from the evil one
8. the kingdom, power and glory be yours forever.

And then Jesus ends it all by asking his disciples to be right in their dealing with the trespasses of others. ....."For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses......"

Speaking about faith, prayer and forgiveness, Jesus spoke on similar terms as we read in the Gospel of Mark.
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:24-26)

Forgiving others, then, is of paramount importance when we seek answers to our prayers. As we commence prayer,surely we must ask forgiveness for our sins, but at the same time, make it a point to forgive them against whom we have problems. That would be a fragrant offering in the Lord's presence.

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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Just a Minute- Listen to this- 10



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Words Of Jesus Devotionals-21



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Fictional Stories But Could Be True- Mohandas

When Mohandas started attending the worship services at Mahanaim Gospel Centre, a few believers frowned because the young man had a bad history of relationships with several women. The pastor was of the opinion that he should be given a chance to reform himself and become a child of God. The fact was that he now lived with his wife and 2 year old child, but was also maintaining relationship with his divorced wife whom he was supporting financially and there was another woman involved about whom not many knew about.

From the time he attended the services at Mahanaim Gospel Centre, Mohandas was regular at the Wednesday Bible Study and the Sunday Worship. He seemed fervent in his approach to his spiritual life. When asked by the pastor regarding whether he had accepted Christ as Savior, he said he had done so a couple of years back. 2 months after joining the present church, he asked that the Pastor baptize him. The Pastor told him that he needed to clean up his life regarding his relationships and then it could be arranged. Though the Pastor did not publicly admonish him, over the next several months, through the Word and also privately, he told him of how a New Testament believer's life should be.

Mohandas always nodded in agreement, but did not take any steps to change his ways. Over the next several months, Mohandas often hinted the Pastor regarding the baptism, but the Pastor always said, "Wait". It was almost a year now since he first came to church, and many of the believers were unhappy that the Pastor was still keeping him in spite of all the bad name he was bringing to the Church. The Pastor, being a humble man of God, waited upon the Lord in prayer regarding the matter. Finally, after giving him warnings and also asking the elders to speak to him, the Pastor told Mohandas to stop attending the services. He showed no grief and did not come back.

A couple of weeks later, the Pastor met Mohandas while shopping. He was all smiles and had news for the Pastor. He had joined a church just close by and had been baptized last week. “But don’t they know about your relationships?” the Pastor asked. “Oh! That’s not a problem with the new Pastor”, he said, and added a “Praise the Lord” as they parted.

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Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Hand of Hope

What an amazing story and picture . . read the following and then click on the link to view the picture . . .

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade. "It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the paper, you probably will never see it. The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb.

Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb. During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. During the surgery on little Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed, hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life." Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person." "The Hand" of the fetus. You can see the actual picture, and it is awesome... incredible.

And hey, pass it on. The world needs to see this one.

Click here: http://joseromia.tripod.com/bighand.gif


Submitted by Richard

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Words Of Jesus Devotionals-14

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. (Matthew 6:1-7) (NKJV)

In this passage, Jesus points out 2 things, which when done in secret, leads to rewards from the Father. And how does the Father reward....openly. Works of charity and prayers are 2 things that are of paramount importance in the life of every believer. But should we do it to gain popularity and kudos from men? If that is our intention, then we will not receive any reward from the Father in Heaven, because according to Jesus, we have already "received our reward from men."

"Heart Intent" is what Jesus is talking about here. Why are we doing the things that we do? is the question! Is it for our own sake or is it for the Lord? Are we expecting glory from people? Are we trying to become popular?

The Apostle Paul writes,
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

A secret prayer life is so very important. We may be known for our prayers in prayer circles or churches, but a secret prayer life is the key to rewards from the Father in Heaven. Those who have a strong secret prayer life have close fellowship with the Lord and as Jesus said, the Father rewards them openly.

Ponder a moment of how strong or how weak your secret prayer life is! The keys to live a successful Christian life are found in the Words of Jesus. Lets cherish them. God Bless.

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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Fictional Stories But Could Be True- Color

Albert had been a believer for 15 years. He had won over every bad habit or trait of his; almost all, so as to say. Smoking, drinking, cursing were no longer a part of him. Tall, fair and handsome. An ideal husband and father was he. Secretary of Mission Chennai Full Gospel Church and Bible class teacher. Respected by most. Yet one thing he couldn't or didn't want to part with. He preferred the company of the elite at work and even in church. He couldn't stand the sight of the lower caste and poor. Secretly and sometimes overtly he chided them and showed his displeasure when they sought his company or asked for favors. His wife had known this all along and often had talked to him about being Christ minded and being impartial. But he just ignored her advice saying that it was because of their sins or shortcomings that they were of lower caste and poverty was a curse of their forefathers.

Some time later, one day Albert came back early from office; he was feverish and had severe low back pain. Painkillers didn't seem to bring much relief and he consulted his doctor the next day. Already very weak and a bit dizzy, the doctor advised him to get admitted for a few blood tests. The next day of admission, he had bleeding from his gums and nose. The blood reports showed a very low platelet count and the doctor diagnosed the sickness to be Dengue fever. Albert needed blood transfusions because the bleeding had increased and he had been vomiting blood. His friends at work and the church members rallied together to donate blood. Albert was semi-comatose and his platelet count was not showing any improvement. The doctor advised 10 platelet transfusions and many of the church members willingly donated. There was round the clock prayer going on for Albert.

2 weeks later, Albert gained consciousness and began taking fluids orally. Another week passed before he was discharged and went home. As he gained strength, he wanted to know who all had been kind enough to give their blood to save his life. His wife told him about all who had been merciful. When Albert heard the names, he wept. 8 of the blood donors were those of the lower caste; men and women he belittled. He wept his heart out. His tears were not those of regret, but of repentance. God had cleansed him through this episode. He had a testimony to give in church and it was a new one; one without guile.Photobucket

Monday, February 14, 2011

Words Of Jesus Devotionals-13

"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:38-48) (NKJV)

Enemies!.....how difficult it is to love them....especially when one knows that they are doing harm to us and our families. Yet Jesus here is teaching his disciples the greater things of the kingdom. He demonstrated that very clearly in his dealings with his enemies, but how far can we? It's all a matter of faith and obedience after all.

......love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.......
Of course there's a limit to all that we can take and tolerate and it varies from believer to believer. But Jesus expects us to grow and mature in our spiritual lives.

......He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.....The great agape love of the Father is brought out well by this statement of Jesus. Not that he favors the wicked and unjust....far from it.

..........For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?......... There's a tendency for believers to be like what Jesus states here. Love believers who are like minded or of the same denomination or who follow the same doctrines.

Change is what Jesus desired in his disciples and followers and they did change, though very slowly. We too are expected to.
Jesus ended this part of his teaching by saying,
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Now that's asking for too much, isn't it? Yet, there's a point to learn there as well. In simple terms, Jesus says, "If you are planning to run the race, aim for the best prize."


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