But I’m Telling You

Hey, thanks for joining us for another word of encouragement from your friends right here at Our Daily Bread.

Today's devotional titled, But I'm Telling You, was written by John Blaise. I know what they're saying, but I'm telling you. As a boy, I heard my mother give that speech a thousand times. The context was always peer pressure. She was trying to teach me not to follow the herd.

I'm not a boy any longer, but herd mentality is still alive and kicking. A current example is this phrase, Only surround yourself with positive people. Now, while that phrase may be commonly heard, the question we must ask is, Is that Christ-like?

But I'm telling you. Jesus uses that lead-in a number of times in Matthew 5. He knows full well what the world is constantly telling us, but his desire is that we live differently. In this case, he says, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. Later in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul uses that very word to describe, guess who?

Yep, that's right, us. While we were God's enemies. Far from some, do as I say, not as I do, Jesus backed up his words with actions. He loved us and gave his life for us. What if Christ had only made room in his life for positive people?

Where would that leave us? Thanks be to God that his love is no respecter of persons, for God so loved the world. And in his strength, we are called to do likewise.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading comes to us from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verses 43 through 48. You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his Son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?

Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Let's pray. Father, it's tempting to surround ourselves with only those who love us. But that's not living, at least not the kind of living you desire for us. Would you help us to love even our enemies? It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.