Matthew 5:44-45
44 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;45 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.
I have read over these two verses many times before, but not until today did they really stick out for me.
I was listening to Greg Boyd this morning and he came to these two verses. Greg pointed out that our love is to be like that of the sun and the rain.
The sun and rain do not discriminate - the same rays of sun that shine on me, shine on everyone, including my enemies.
Thus is how we are to love. Our love is to fall on everyone as the rain falls, and our love is to rise and shine on everyone as the sun does: without discrimination.
More often than not, I think of terms of "deserve." I deserve ________, they DON'T deserve ________. But love does not fall into such a category. That is: no one deserves love.
God loves us out of his nature, not because we have earned it, not because we have merited it. God's love, as revealed to us through Jesus, is freely given to all.
God is love.
And like the rain and the sun, His love is to the just and unjust.
So is our love to be.
No one "deserves" our love, because ALL deserve it.
The rain cares not who it falls on, neither should our love.
The sun cares not who it shines upon, neither should are love.
THIS type of love, freely given to all, isn't easy at first. We may have some worldly ideas and beliefs that will desperately try to hang on...but the more we love, the more we will love.
And this love is freeing!
If we love everyone, we need not have to carry the heavy burden of hate, anger, rage, jealousy, you name it...all those negative emotions that do weigh us down. We can chuck them aside and leave them for we now love.
How much easier is it to "carry" ONE way of being (love) than all the others?
Jesus said his yoke is light...it certainly is: Love.
However, sometimes it seems heavy, and I believe that is because we are still carrying OUR yoke, so of course ADDING to our yoke makes it that much heavier...so first we must REMOVE our yoke and then we can experience the ease and lightness that is Jesus'.
So as the rain falls, as the sun shines, let your love BE.
