Subtitle: Ask God to show you where you need to love, bless, do good, and pray. Take a minute and love someone who doesn't vote the same as you do.
Excerpt: The author expresses gratitude for the ability to elect leaders, unlike other countries. He also suggests that if a candidate used a message of love as their slogan, people might initially discredit the messenger but should instead reflect on their own treatment of others.
Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Matthew 5:44-45, “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.”
Background
I am thankful that we live in a country where we can elect our leaders. Like so many of our other blessings, this ability to choose whom we want as a nation to lead us is probably underappreciated, but as much as I am able, I am grateful that we do not live under a forced regime or have to suffer through bogus, tainted elections (regardless of what the pundits are saying). However, I am also relieved when the elections are over, which means campaign ads are ending. Whether full of promises of change and improvement or laced with the negative aspects and shortcomings of an opponent, these 30-second sound bites that tickle our ears or nauseate our stomachs will not be missed once they’re gone. But imagine if a candidate used our verse for today as his campaign slogan.
Application
Imagine that each of his commercials and posters was used to spread the message of love found in this passage. How would that go over? If we reacted to it like we usually do, we’d blame the messenger for not following their own advice. For some reason, we declare ourselves innocent or exempt if we can declare the messenger imperfect. But after we have tried to discredit the messenger, what would we do? Would we take the time to think about who our enemies are or who curses and hates us? Though they seem like foreign words to many of us, perhaps we should see our enemies as anyone we are not showing love to. If we fail to love, bless, do good to, and pray for them, we are treating them like enemies that hate and use us spitefully. When we have the power of God with us, His living Spirit inside of us, we become a child of our heavenly Father, who loves, blesses, does good, and prays for us. To not live out His love toward others is to miss the whole point. We cannot discredit His messenger, our Savior Jesus, so let’s imitate Him instead.
Charge
As we seek Him today, ask God to show you where you need to love, bless, do good, and pray. Take a minute and love someone who doesn’t vote the same as you do.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org