by David Brenneman
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:44-48.
When you open your eyes to greet the new day, do you at all wonder how you can do better by yourself? As in how will be a better you today than you were yesterday?
We can be the most brutal...to ourselves. We can be the most ruthless...towards ourselves. We can belittle, berate, harsh, unforgiving, towards our own person.
Yes, even Christians can be that way towards themselves.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34.
Do you see it? There is message for all of us within that passage on top of the obvious things that are there.
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." Romans 13:14.
Put on Christ is to not put even our minds in a place where we aren't seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.
Satan's schemes include messing with your head in order to infect your heart, mind and soul. No demon can possess those who have Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior but he and they can seek permission to attack in these subtle ways. A person saved has the full indwelling of the Spirit of God. There's no place for a demon to be in there. But the choices we make can and will show who we are listening to.
Jesus said "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16.
Your good works should not be showcasing you but Jesus in you.
Your good works should be showcasing what Jesus is doing in your life with respect to the free gift of salvation that you have been given.
You are, just as the Apostle wrote, on display for all the world to see.
Strive to be a better you today than you were yesterday. Yes, yesterday you might have neglected to read your Bible. Do not do that today and there will be one more step towards improvement. Yes, yesterday you might have neglected to have meaningful prayer with Jesus. Get that fixed in your today and you will be all the better for it.
You have the opportunity to be a better you for Jesus today because you are still breathing. As the saying goes, the past is passed. The future is unknown. Today is a gift which is why it is the present.
Jesus absolutely does not want your prayers if your heart really isn't in it. By this I mean you aren't at all thinking about what you are saying to Him. You're just saying words that just repeat what you've said before and deep down you don't even mean them. You said them only because you felt obligated.
You and I always ought to have the deepest respect for any time we step into Heaven's throne room in prayer. We enter into the very presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We're to seek to be who God wants of us in Christ Jesus. Not selectively but always. We gave up our rights when we came to Christ. What Jesus wants of us and for us is supposed to be our new priority.
Yes this means there will be people who disrespect us. People who are evil in our world. People who will be cruel etc. We are still to exemplify Christ in us.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Matthew 6:1-8.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not 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 your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:38-48.
My Dear Reader...strive just a little bit more today to be better than you were yesterday...not just in the eyes of men but in the eyes of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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