Hater Rewards

In yesterday’s issue we talked about the impossible-ness of loving our enemies. Today we’re going to take it a step further and find out why. Matthew 5:44 says,

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…”

Verse 46 says,

For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?

Notice here that the Lord is saying we are rewarded when we love, bless, do good, and pray for our enemies. Woot! Woot!

I had no idea God rewards us when we do this. Like so many, I thought it was just the Christian thing to do. Like in Luke 10:27 when it says,

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

I thought this was just something else we had to do. But loving our enemies, blessing those who curse us, and doing good to those who hate us comes with a promise, and the promise is that we are rewarded when we do. Hebrews 11:6 says,

‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.’

Therefore, when we diligently seek God for how to love, bless, do good, and pray for our enemies, He’ll then not only reward us for doing it, but we’ll receive a double reward because we sought Him for the strength and attitude to do it.

If we had to do this in and of ourselves, it would seem impossible, but it only takes faith and a desire to want to obey and please God instead of wanting to one-up our enemies. And our success rate is determined by our want to. Not just wanting to because it’s the Christian thing to do but doing it because it pleases God…AND…AND…AND you’re going to be rewarded when you do.

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