Good Morning Friends,
"Do to others as you would have them do to you. 'If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.'" (Luke 6:31-36)
How do you treat the people you love? How do you treat the people who agree with you? How do you treat the people who treat you well? Those are not the tests of a heart that is modeled after the heart of God. The test comes in how you treat the people you do not like, how you treat the people who disagree with you, and how you treat the people who treat you poorly. If you respond to them in ways that mirror the ways they have treated you, then you are acting like the world. But if you respond to them in ways that demonstrate love and mercy, then you are acting with the heart of God.
How does God respond to those who treat Him poorly? How does God respond to those who disagree with Him and disobey Him? How does God respond to people who ignore Him and do not love Him? You can answer that by thinking about how God has responded to you, because you fit all of those descriptions, or did at one time. To such people God demonstrates patience, waiting for them to turn to Him. He demonstrates compassion, continuing to provide for them. He demonstrates mercy, always offering forgiveness and restored relationship with Him.
The question is – are you responding to others like God has responded to you?
His, by Grace,
Steve
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