The Laurel Canyon church of Christ

That Which Sets Us Apart

Jason Budd

"If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:32-36).

        At the same time that this passage is beautiful, it is also very scary. When we describe ourselves as Christians, that needs to be saying something, and it should be a big deal. When we stand strong and profess our faith, people should be impressed. But often, such is not the case. If we, as Christians, do no more than those of the world, there will never be great respect for our religion.
        There is often little respect because we don't set ourselves apart–we are often guilty of the very thing being talked about here! If we show kindness to our family, biological or spiritual, we do nothing more than the great majority of the world. In this holiday season, if we decide to whom we'll give gifts based on whether or not we anticipate one, we do nothing beyond the ordinary. If we weigh the risk of loaning someone money on the odds that they'll repay it, we've only matched the most easily matched.
        Imagine the consequence if God acted in this way. There is little we could have done for Him, so there is no reason we would have expected the great things He did for us. The message? Go beyond the ones who love you. Show kindness to all. In so doing, set yourself apart. That is the road to being a son of the Most High.