Life is not about collecting things.
More specifically, life is not about storing up money for our own satisfaction.
It’s not even about hoarding hurts that others have done to us. Rather, life is about giving good things back to them.
Matthew 5:39-42 gives us our best lesson on dealing with those who live in the world around us.
We know the Golden Rule that tells us to Do Unto Others as We Would Have Them Do Unto Us. Yet, what about what they’ve already done unto us, and we want no more than to get even?
Verse 39 tells us:
Do not reward evil with evil. We are to treat those who misuse us with dignity.
John 18:22-23 reveals Jesus’ response to those who abused him. He rebuked them, but he did so with the grace of God. We can’t afford to collect vile retorts as comebacks for when we feel mistreated.
Verse 40 urges us:
Resolve our disputes without redress to the judicial system.
We must find ways to coexist peacefully with our fellow man, even when he does not believe in the truth of the almighty God. Storing up legal strictures to force men to do as we wish is not in the wisdom of the Father.
Verse 41 coerces us:
We must show willingness to aid our brother, even when we disagree with his lifestyle.
2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us Christ died for everyone. We can’t pick and choose who deserves the love of Christ.
Verse 42 compels us:
Help those truly in need.
If they’re simply lazy, we can look to 2 Thessalonians 3:10, which tells us a different tale. Our stored riches are for the widows, the orphans, and the sick who have no way of getting money on their own.
Now let’s get back to the Golden Rule. Even if others have already done bad things to us, we need to turn loose of our miserly attitude that says, I’m getting even. Instead, we need to be the example of Christian love that shows them the truth of Christ’s presence in our lives.
Opening up our hearts means we open up our pocketbooks, so that we can show Christ’s love to others.
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