Show Love To Those Around You

 Matthew 10

21. “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.

22. And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved."

God's righteousness endures forever but humankind doesn't ever learn to practice His will.

Have you read the scriptures from the Holy Book, the Bible? If your answer is 'Yes', how much change (from being wicked to being righteous) has taken place in your heart? Can anyone point to your goodness as s/he narrates the good things you are doing? Are you in cordial relationships with most of your relatives, friends, neighbours or any other person who is in your circle of interaction? Or are you currently battling with an anguished spirit because some of your relatives, friends and neighbours are not seeing eye to eye with you? What makes it difficult for you and your relatives, friends and neighbours to sit down and discuss what is best to go over your differences? Something must be rising up in you as you go on to ask yourself many such questions why even today you are experiencing the 'spiritual hurts' in your life. Jesus' teaching about relationships in this scripture is meant to train our minds to know that in any human interactions there are possibilities of crossing one another's paths. 

We don't see things the same way with the same understanding. However, seeing things in our lives differently is never meant to cause us to do evil things to one another. There are good opportunities brought about by being different as everyone learns new ideas and right ways to live in harmony, thus bringing glory to God. Imagine someone, especially those close to you in your relationship circle, teaching that, 'Even in the Bible it is said a son shall rise against his father, so this is the reason I hate my father.' S/He is reacting to 'spiritual hurt' of the moment because they are being controlled by an evil spirit in them. 

For me, as I was reading the quoted verses in today's devotional, the Holy Sprit revealed to me that no matter how hard a situation may turn out to be, I need to tolerate goodness to prevail over wickedness. The Word of God tells us that when one fails to do good while knowing that goodness must be done it is sinning. When I know what I want to say will make another person to be unhappy, I in turn must refrain from saying anything. This is how I will endure doing those behaviours God says are commendable. I don't need to hate my brother, sister, son, daughter or any one in my relationship circle because of what they said to me or what I heard from another person. Love is what God desires of us all, and how can we claim to worship and love God we don't see when we don't love one another, (1 John 4:20)? 

When we are driven by love, we will be helped by the Holy Sprit to do God's will. As you pray this morning, ask God in the name of Jesus Christ, to show you better ways to relate with people who are in your relationship circle. Why will you choose to abandon looking after your father, mother, brother sister, son, etc etc, in your relationship circle because someone told you how much they hate you? Extend your olive branch of love to them for that is what defines God's righteousness when He sent His only begotten Son to take over the place of our wickedness so that we are reconciled to Him (God). Learn from how hard something is so that you are conformed to live in God's righteousness. The simple and undisputed message in today's devotional is that you have every possible opportunity to do good even if the prevailing situation tells you to do the opposite. You are the one to turn around a bad situation to be good, and that's is possible with God, (Matthew 8:12). He knows what you want or will say before you ask Him. Be the person God wants you to be by doing good all the time, (Galatians 6:9). 

Let every scripture verse you read transform you to show love to anyone no matter how much they hate you or what bad things you have heard about them. Don't let anything break up your relationship circle, everyone in that chain of relationship was placed by God as a way of growing your tolerance levels. Good morning believer in Christ Jesus?