By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
Matthew 5:43-45 “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, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." - NIV
Jesus in a long sermon on the mountain, compared what people had been taught under the law and what He came to do. In the law, it was tit for tat. Eye for eye,tooth for tooth. If one was your enemy, you hated them. But Jesus changed the narrative by teaching that you love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you. This is the character of God Who does good to all, including those who hate Him.
By doing good in return for evil, we truly become children of the God we claim to belong. This is no easy task in our human understanding and abilities. The human natural tendency is to pay back evil for evil. If God was to do that, no wicked person would get His blessings. We can only truly do good for evil by God’s help.
The Holy Spirit was given to help us in our weaknesses, one of which is inability to do good in the face of evil done to us. Imagine blessing those who curse and hate you, praying for those who persecute and want to harm you! It takes God. Let’s corporate with the Holy Spirit to enable us be children like our Father. In so doing, we show that we are His children and bring Him much glory.
Romans 12:19-21 "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Shalom children of God