Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Jesus, while on trial, continually turned the other cheek. And then while He hung on the cross, He prayed for those who hated Him saying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” The human side of us, says they don’t deserve it, but the Christian side of us should remember that, that is the way to be like Christ.
Jesus loves those who love Him, but He, also, loves those who don’t love Him. And so to be like Jesus, and love like Jesus, we must learn to love people because Jesus wants us to, even when they don’t deserve it. The Love of God falls on men who deserve it not – like me! And we must not forget that we don’t deserve the love God gives us. When we love others, it is not a matter of someone deserving it, but a matter of following Christ’s example and loving as He loved us.
How did Christ love us…while we were yet sinners…
-S. Borner, Pastor