Monday, January 16th, 2006
A Study on Love – Edition #13
The three things:
- Is there a fact to believe here?
- Is there a promise to trust?
- Is there a command to obey?
Deuteronomy 23:5
5 However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
This one verse really makes me think. God would not listen to Balaam and turned a curse meant for his people into a blessing. I simply wonder what all the curses out there are perplexed around into blessings. What bad things that should happen end up being good things in the end. I want an expensive sports car and go and try to get one… and am not able to afford it, and end up getting an economy car instead and low and behold, it’s more than making me happy. It felt bad at the time, but now I am overjoyed. (It didn’t really happen, but I had to make an example within my head to paint the picture out.) A curse is an appeal or prayer for evil or misfortune to befall someone or something, but a blessing is something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity. I think it is God alone who can turn misfortune into prosperity.
Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
It rains on everyone. The good, bad, and worse, it rains on us all. And when I think of the word rain… I think of the phrase, “When it rains, it pours.” It’s like the proverbial thought of when one thing goes bad, the domino effect has begun. Maybe that is how the Friday the thirteenth stuff came about… not really sure, don’t really care, either. But here’s a thought, if I like to receive help in days of rain, wouldn’t it make sense to do the same for others and give them help? Do I love the pagans? Am I helping the unrighteous? When someone spits in my face, how do I react? I can tell you now; my response wouldn’t be the pretty righteous response I would like for it to be… (And this isn’t an invitation to come up and spit in my face, peeps… please don’t do that.) I really think I need to spend a little more time in prayer for those I know who don’t like me… anyway, Johnny Out.
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