Having just completed our Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed the company of family and friends, I often wonder if I am doing enough for those who are less fortunate. Considering how God has blessed me, do I show appreciation? Do I take any of His marvelous blessings for granted?
A part of Scripture which causes me to feel uneasy is when the Lord instructs, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?” (Matthew chapter 5:46-47).
What satisfaction is there for those whose love is only shown to those who love them? In this passage, the principle of love Jesus is trying to explain is the love that makes men more like Jesus. It goes beyond the love of regular men. It is this principle of love that is explained in the preceding verse (Matt. 5:45): “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” God’s benevolence has no distinction; He is benevolent to both good and evil. The sun God created for us is still under His control, it still shines equally on the good and the bad. The same is true with the blessing of rain.
Do we do the same? With me, there is always room for improvement.
For the elders, Tony Williams