Matthew 5:46: “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?“
Christians know that everyone must love one another because love is the foundation of Jesus’ teaching. If the contents of the Bible are extracted, love will come out of it. Therefore, the first and greatest commandment in the Word of God is love. Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
One of the aspects of love is seen in Matthew 5:46. This verse explains loving those who love us is normal. Nonbelievers can also do that. However, loving those who do not love us is something special. This is what the Lord desires – for us to love everyone, including the ones who have wronged us.
Try to meditate on this. How is our attitude toward those who belittle us, disgrace us and are against us? Often times, don’t we also show the same attitude in return? This is a test where if we can pass it by taking the right action, then we have become the doers of the Word.
Let us learn to love unconditionally as Jesus loves us unconditionally. To love unconditionally means to love someone despite of their actions toward us. If we do good towards someone and they might think we have ulterior motives, keep doing good and keep loving that person. If we are honest and certain people take advantage of that to deceive us, keep being honest and love them.
God’s Word says that in the end times, the love of mankind will grow colder. This means people will no longer love one another and will think of their own importance. In this situation, our attitude as God’s children is to keep loving; as a matter of fact, love even more. The world needs unconditional love (agape love) and the ones who can give this love are those who have received the agape love from Jesus.
Let us show the world that God’s children are people who have sincere and unconditional love. Praise the Lord. God bless.
Source: hs/Publishing Team, IBC Church