If I want to be perfect…

 

Enemies and persecution are not part of my life, but there are a few people I do not want to spend time with, people who are so full of themselves that a normal conversation is painful. Yet God keeps putting one of them on my mind. This morning, He speaks to me again about this person:

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 makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:44–48)

God’s goodness is His perfection and I am to do good to all, even those at the bottom of my opinion. Holiness is a resemblance of God’s purity, so doing good to even enemies is a resemblance of God’s goodness. I cannot be a perfect Christian if I refuse to let His goodness shine through me.

Charnock outlines two ways. One is by relieving and assisting others in distress. I’m not supposed to think anyone is so far below me to be unworthy of my care, since God thinks none that are distant from Him are beneath His care. He may punish sin, but He also gives support to those who are in distress. 

Needy people fit in here. I often say if I have something that I am not using, then someone else needs it. What about the treasures God has blessed me with? Are they for me only? Or to give me the honor of imitating Him? After all, I am a mere steward of all that I have. It is entrusted me to use it wisely and in kindness, and in the same way that He has given it to me. The goodness of God stripped his Son of the glory of heaven to enrich my life. How can I  shrug when asked to part with my small pleasures and offer them back to Him? Or to others? If I hoard up the goodness of God and use it to feed only me, could this provoke Him to harden His heart against me? His persistence in showing me kindness is such a blessing that I’m not surprised that He should reward His children — even if we give a mere cup of cold water to someone — even when there is much more that could be done.

The second way to imitate God’s goodness is in kindness to my enemies. There are people in the world that hate Christians. I’ve no personal relationship with any (that I know of) yet as Charnock says, even good people are no more worthy to receive anything from God than the worst can be to receive anything from me. God is kind to those that blaspheme Him with the same sunshine and rain as He gives to the best of His saints. Besides, it is to His glory when people can do good to those who hate them, and no glory when I do the worldly thing:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19–21)

When I was lost in sin, God did not strike me dead as I deserved, but in His goodness He redeemed me. He didn’t send forth wrath, but selfless goodness. Because I am His child, I am to be like Him and be open to those who seem closed to me or closed to Him.

PRAY: God, Your goodness changed and still changes my life. I cannot hoard it. Enable me and give ways to share the wonder of Your sacrificial love to those around me, even those who are against me, even those against You. They need to know that You are not their enemy but the One whose heart is so full of goodness that You love Your enemies and making Yourself available to them.  

God’s goodness described . . .

 

Last week strong river currents grabbed a young boy playing in the shallows and swept him away. His body was found 85k downstream. Yesterday a car sped off the road and three of its five occupants died, three are severely injured.

This morning in my bedside prayer book, I read this:

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:3–4)

Today’s devotional focuses on persevering in the Word of God. Would that save lives? Would it stop people from ignoring signs, like those at the river and those that limit speed? Perhaps, but I know my own struggle to remember and do what God says and how many times Scripture tells me the importance of persevering in reading it and doing what it says. A quick look at cross references produces these encouragements and warnings:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1–2)

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27–28)

The news of those deaths is sad, but also makes me think about dying. I have eternal life in Christ, yet at times death is a brazen threat and tries to bind me with unkind fear. This is another reason to persevere in the Word.

Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32)

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

I can get caught up in doing my own thing also. And in selfishness, I can run up a that to-do list that is like a ball and chain. For that, Jesus tells me to take up His yoke, His light burden. He blesses obedience. Some of those things on my list could be His will for my day, but His Word gives definition to what freedom looks like:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:16–17)

But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:25)

Before reading these verses, a few minutes of worship turned me from negative thinking and sadness to the power of God to give joy in sorrow and peace in trials.

PRAY: Because of the wonder of You Jesus, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” (Psalm 119:15–16) Grant me grace today to think of Your goodness and delight in the spiritual principles that You have established. Getting caught up in stress as I listen to sad news is motivation to pray, but praying is my connection to remembering the wonder of who You are and Your power to use even tragedy to draw people to Yourself. I’m thinking also of the good news — four children who were with their parents in a plane crash survived the crash, and not only that, lived forty days in the jungle and were found yesterday. One of them is a young baby. You are an amazing God and while we occasionally hear good news in the media, there is always good news in Your Word.

PONDER: Slowly read Psalm 23 and give thanks for the goodness of God it describes.