Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. He then said that after that, we need to love one another. Not only are we supposed to love fellow Christians or family, but we’re supposed to love our enemies as well. At the time, this kind of thinking was very foreign to the people. Even now, 2000 years later, people still consider it normal and ok to hate those who hurt us. Let’s take a look at exactly what Jesus said.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 to love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us. That sounds simple enough on paper, but how many of us actually do that? You know the guy who cuts you off while you’re driving, or the guy who insults you publically, how do you act around them? Do you avoid them or gossip about them? Or do you pray for them, and be polite to them, and see how you can help them?

He continues in Matthew 5:46 saying that even the unsaved love those who love them. He was saying that it is nothing special to love those who love you, it’s far more important to love those who hate you. It sets us apart from the rest of the world because we love. If we just hate people back, we are no better than they are. Like the old hymn says, they will know we are Christians by our love.

It can be hard to love someone who hates or hurts us, but it’s the right thing to do. In the end, we can win people over by treating them with kindness, instead of repaying evil with evil, and we can gain a friend, instead of keeping an enemy.

Christians have an important responsibility when it comes to the rest of the world. Jesus said in Matthew 5:13 that we as Christians are the salt of the earth. It’s an interesting analogy, especially when we look at what salt does.

Let’s take a look at the historical context of salt. Salt was extremely important in those days, as it was used as a preservative for foods. When Jesus called us the salt of the earth, he was saying that we need to work to preserve the world, to help those who need help, and to lead them to Christ in the process.

If we look at how salt interacts with the body, we find that people can’t live without it. Your body needs salt in order to stay healthy. Without Christians being the salt of the earth, the world gets sicker and more corrupt. As salt of the earth, we need to be making a stand for God, and pointing people in His direction.

Finally, if we look at the effect that salt has on things, we find that it has a powerful effect, even in small amounts. If you look at recipes, most dishes only call for a small amount of salt proportional to the rest of the ingredients. However, if you omit the salt, the dish just doesn’t taste the same. You might think that as only one person you can’t do much to help the world. But, even as an individual, there is so much that you can do. You can volunteer for missions work, help out at the church, or even witness to your unsaved friends. While these actions might not seem like much at first, they add up, and the effect may be much more than you expected.

One last thought in closing, Jesus then said that if salt has lost its flavor, it’s worthless and should be tossed aside. We need to keep our “flavor” and not let the things of God be pushed off to the side. As soon as we let the fun of this world overshadow our duty from God, we’re not accomplishing anything for Him, and are good for nothing for the kingdom of God. Keep that in mind as you go out…