GET TOGETHER IT’S A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE

Mt 5:43 ¶ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”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. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
I often tell people that The Sermon on The Mount was by the greatest preacher that ever lived. And sometimes I say that it might have been the least amened sermon ever preached. I don’t know about you, but when I read the Sermon on the Mount it really drives me to a place of praying for the Holy Spirit to cleanse my own heart and to empower me to do what Jesus is commanding us to do in that passage.
It is a challenging time in our country right now. For those who believe in Christ and have a Biblical view of marriage and life we often are labeled with names such as haters, or other names that just are not true. On the other hand, the evil one was love to use those type false accusations to draw us into a fleshly battle and attempt to make us want bad for those who may falsely accuse us.
I am reminded of the movie the Cross and the Switchblade. When Nicky Cruz threatened to cut David Wilkerson that Brother Wilkerson told him no matter how many pieces that he cut him into that every piece would be loving him. Later Nicky Cruz would get saved and be used in a great and mighty way to bring others to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe that the Holy Spirit can still do that. Everyday the Lord has me praying for an Awakening on college campuses. I believe that just as the Lord changed the heart of C.S Lewis. He can still change the heart of the atheist professors and students on college campuses.
I believe just as He changed the heart of many of the persecutors of the early Christians that God can do it today. If Jesus loved the people that hate us enough to die on the cross for them. Can’t we begin to pray for them? Can’t we believe that He can still turn those who are opposed to the Gospel into some of His greatest proponents of the Gospel.
We hear much about the cultural war that is going on in our nation and throughout the world. And there certainly is one. But for us our battle isn’t with flesh and blood. Our battle is with the demonic forces of evil as Paul wrote in Eph 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Today may we all obey what Jesus commanded us to do. Begin to pray for those who hate you. Pray for any political leaders that do not have a worldview that lines up with the word of God. Pray for the Lord to change their heart. Pray for the executives of large corporations that do not have a Biblical worldview.
If God changed my heart He can change the heart of any of those who oppose the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a mentor of mine told me one time don’t try to beat them. Try to win them.
And we can love without compromise. Jesus was full of grace, but He was also full of truth. As I heard someone once say if you are all truth and no love you can become like a Pharisee. And on the other hand, if you are all love and no truth it becomes almost anything goes. Holy love is a different kind of love than what the world calls love. It means loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And it means loving our neighbors as ourselves. I sure am thankful for the people who loved me enough to pray for me and to speak the truth in love when I was on the other side. If not for them, you would not be reading this.

Let Us Pray

Lord, we know that You loved us when we were so unlovable. Lord help us today by the power of Your Holy Spirit to love our enemies. Lord help us to pray for them. Lord, we pray that You will bring them to the cross of Jesus Christ and that they will become our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In Jesus Name
Amen
Love You All
Your Friend/Kinfolk
Preston

PS For those in Northwest Alabama our Broadcast Redeeming the Time comes on at 9:30 A.M. AND 9:30 P.M. on Sunday morning and Sunday night. That is on Spectrum Channel 10. In Jasper, it is on TV 16. Please pray for the Lord to reach the lost through these broadcasts, and to encourage the faithful.