When the Rotten Reap Rewards

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For He makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”  Matthew 5:44-45

We all want to see justice done swiftly. Our television shows end with justice served in an hour, and the bad guys getting what’s coming to them.  But unfortunately, that’s Tinsel Town, not our town. In our towns we deal with bosses and co-workers who maneuver and backstab, family members who betray us, and businesses that lie and cheat us for profit. Seldom does any determined crime fighter appear to right their wrongs.

What is painfully puzzling is when these people who act wickedly prosper. King David vented his frustration on the rotten that reaped rewards.  That is, until he considered their end.  At times evil people do get the upper hand, but it’s always temporary.  Remember their end. God will repay (Romans 12:19).

Jesus tells us to love those who mistreat us and do good to them. It was said of Archbishop Cranmer, a Christian martyred for his faith, that if you wanted him as your friend, “just do him an ill turn.”

Regardless of whether someone’s scratching you back or putting a knife in it, Christ’s blood was shed on the cross for them, too. Loving those who wrong us is one of the hardest things to do. The rotten sometimes do reap unjustified rewards. But our prayers for them, forgiveness (Luke 17:4), and our loving acceptance, can bring a Christ-centered transformation of their heart for He has always been, first and foremost, the Great Physician who specializes in cardiac resuscitation and restoration.  For those of us who have felt His healing hands, our own beating hearts are living proof.

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

Ken