Love Them Like Jesus - Forgive

Life can be inconveniently complicated. God will put people in our path that can be hard to deal with and let us down. Sometimes our faith in people can be damaged by unfair circumstances & painful relationships, but we can be assured that God has a plan.

I can’t help but think of the servant who wouldn’t forgive, even though he had been forgiven much. Here is the question he was asked; Matthew 18:33 “Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'

Mat 5:44-48 “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

God had compassion on the people of Nineveh when they were in spiritual darkness and sent Jonah to help them find the way. Jonah struggled with helping these evil people but God helped him learn through the experience. Just read Jonah 4.

God is working on our hearts all the time. Here is God’s command to us.

Mar 12:30-31 “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

So how do we follow Jesus & love others, even when some relationships hurt.

Luke 6:35 "Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”

We are called to love the unlovable and heap coals of goodness on them.

Romans 12:20-21 “Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads." Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Romans 5:7-8 “Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

In His unfailing love, God had a plan for all of us that sin. Love them like Jesus.