FEBRUARY 03 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you … and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

 

FEBRUARY 03  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   

JQ#02  “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …

and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?”

 (Matthew 5:46-47)

LIVING FOR JESUS   Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Praise you Lord for Your Lovingkindness and for Your Daily

 Guidance in all things we do. Lord Jesus, I continue to pray for the family,

 not just mine but for all families that they will grow strong in Your Grace 

and become the cornerstone to rebuild our society. 

O Lord, I know that when I started praying for my family that I never imagined 

what Blessings You would rain down on our entire family but then, that is

 because “[Your] ways are not [our] ways” (Isaiah 55:8). Jesus, 

forgive us where we daily fail You and forgive us our trespasses 

against Your Commandments, especially when we do not

 “Love God with all [our] hearts [and] 

love our neighbors as [ourselves].”  

(Luke 10:27)     

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS makes it clear what is on God’s mind in this Matthew 5:43-48 passage

 which contains the second of “The Jesus Questions” for it leaves little 

doubt in our minds that God is Teaching us about His “Love”. Jesus states

 “you have heard…’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’…” 

(Matthew 5:43) 

but Jesus immediately Teaches, 

“But I say… love your enemies” 

and then Jesus replaces “hate” with 

“…bless those who curse you…” 

then adds 

“…pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” 

(Matthew 5:44) 

If that wasn’t obvious enough that Jesus wants us to “Love” others

 as He “Loves” us, Jesus adds “why”  we should “Love others” 

as He “Loves” us: 

“that you may be sons [and daughters] of your Father in heaven…”

 (Matthew 5:45) 

While Jesus has our attention, He then asks common sense Questions 

from a Divine Viewpoint for our reasonable consideration: 

JQ#2a “For if you love those who love you,

 what reward have you?” (Matthew 5 46a)

 The answer is implied that if we don’t “Love” as commanded from heaven

 then there is no “reward” awaiting us in heaven. 

JQ#2b “Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:46b)

 This Question implies that if we do not act any better than

 “tax collectors” (the tax collectors were at the time of Jesus definitely

 pagan and serving the Emperor of Rome) who served powerful men 

rather than God then we will receive no “reward”. I asked the 

question “why tax collectors?” and the answer that came to me in the Spirit

 is that in God’s great wisdom He has written in His Word a reference 

that any one from any generation could relate to and those words are 

“taxes and tax collectors” which definitely are a universal reference point -

 this gives extra weight to the phrase “…such as is common to man…” 

(1 Corinthians 10:13)  . 

JQ#2c “And if you greet your  brethren only, 

what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:47a) 

and 

JQ#2d “Do not even the tax collectors do so?” (Matthew 5:47b)

 which are essentially the same Questions aimed at Teaching the same Lesson

 as to why we should “Love others” and makes the point that we are

 to separate ourselves from the world by doing “more” for others than ourselves 

which demonstrates not our character but God’s Character and demonstrates

 His Power to change our daily lives into Glory for Himself while making 

us and the world a better place and in the process we add so much

 “more” good to society!  Jesus concludes the Lesson on why we

 should “Love” with another command that is really, really hard to live

 up to but we must try because Jesus commanded it and I am confident

 that with each effort at being like God that we expend, that we will 

grow “spiritually” and learn with each effort what the Father is trying to

 Teach to us as we journey “under the sun”! Jesus leaves the 

we-should-Love-others 

Lesson by commanding followers: 

“Therefore you shall be perfect, 

just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” 

(Matthew 5:48).  

Agreed, we will never be perfect in the flesh but the least we can do is

 give our “Utmost for His Highest” as did the great Christian writer 

Oswald Chambers and the key to heavenly success is to “Love others”

 as closely as we can by imitating our God who demonstrated unquestionably

 that He “Loves” us — even though we are natural born sinners! 

 Keep in mind those who sat under the Teaching of Jesus learned this 

personal Lesson on “Love” from Jesus: 

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, 

‘With men this is impossible;

 but with God all things are possible.’”

 (Matthew 19:26)  

A good way to learn to be “perfect” is

 to learn from

 The Perfect One, JESUS!!!