I Am A Christian

I am a Christian. I declare this to be true but what of it, if I don't speak and live like one? What does this declaration mean and how does it matter, if my mind is not transformed and tracking in The Way? 

One of my greatest challenges is this command, found in Matthew 5:44-46

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

I have always wanted to obey the commandments, but the how to part has been difficult, since my inclinations run along the lines of, I hope those dirty bastards get what's coming to them ... Red faced, I have to look down and away, kicking the dirt at my feet rather than looking heavenward, because I know that I know this is not what God wants for one of his children. He doesn't want us to retaliate in hate, disgust, or despair. He does not play favourites, and he is just, so we are told this:

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:19)

Yesterday, I read this prayer on page 750, in Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible:

Lord, deliver me from my persecutors, either tie their hands or turn their hearts, break their power or blast their projects, restrain them or rescue me, for they are stronger than I am, and it will be thy honour to take part with the weakest. 

I chuckle as I compare this saintly approach, taken from the life of king David and written about by Matthew Henry (based on Psalm 142), and the one I took from a page in my own book! Clearly, I have some work to do.

When I look to the skies, wanting to see into heaven, and I can't get past the smearing that has been placed there purposefully by pilots polluting the air with chemicals, I am diligent in my prayers, and this is how they tend to go:

Lord, Thank-You for today. The sun, the moon, the air, water, and land, are all yours. Everything and everyone belongs to you. Please thwart the plans of the wicked. I pray the pilots can't take off, that there are mechanical malfunctions, and that whatever they have done to cause damage thus far, turns to harmless vapour. Lord, redeem them, and if they will not turn from their sins, I pray for their disablement, so that they cannot continue in their wicked work ... 

Dear reader, I want people protected from persecutors and predators, and I trust that God hears my pleas and will act, according to his will, way, and perfect timing. While there is breath, there is hope of repentance for all of us, including those that hate humanity and are hell bent on hurting and killing as many people as they possibly can. 

I am a Christian, and if you are one too, then you love the Word of God, and you will ask God to reform you in every way, so that you are an image of Jesus on earth. From the cross, he spoke these words:

Luke 23:34

Then said Jesus, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots

• Was he praying only for the soldiers before him, or for everyone, then, and now? 
• Would you put Jesus on the cross, and gamble for his raiment/clothing? 
• Would you do to him what he would never do to you? 
• If he asks the Father to forgive us, and tells us to love, bless, do good, and pray for our enemies, is that not what we must do, to be children of the living God? Is this not precisely, what Jesus did for all the world, when he died for our sins?

People don't always know what they are doing and how catastrophic the results will be after they engage in certain thoughts that turn into actions that have long term consequences. The forgive them, for they know not what they do, pertains to each human being that derails, driving a wedge between them and the Father in heaven that loves them. Have you done this very thing, dear reader? gone against God's commands and found yourself in a heap of trouble?

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

It is easy to love those that love us, but much harder to love our enemies unto Christ. Matthew Henry's commentary helps me immensely, to understand the how to part of being a Christian. We want redemption, not ruin for our fellow humans, and when we look to the love that Christ displays for us, we must humble ourselves and ask to be as merciful and gracious as the Saviour.