If you want to up your game in growing in maturity, letting your light so shine, and increase in your depth of experience of God’s heart, add this attitude to your life:
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Essentially there is not much reward for doing good to those who do good to you. That is just a no brainer, which is why people who haven’t experienced God can do it. But what is a true mark of one who knows God is that they love their enemies and do good to those who don’t do good to them. They lend money to those who aren’t going to pay them back. But there is a reason behind this kind of behavior. The reason you would hold this kind of attitude is because this is the exact way God acts. Jesus said, “he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
I’ve heard is said there is a difference in objective between a teacher and a father. A teacher’s goal is to teach you what he or she knows. Where a father’s goal is to teach you to be like him. This is why Jesus said if you do these things, then you will be children of the Most High.
To be kind to the ungrateful and wicked is to look beyond the surface. God looks beyond the words, the attitudes, the perspectives that are based off of incorrect information and bad experiences and he sees himself. Everyone was made in his image and his likeness. God is after what is his, even when what is his isn’t after him. It’s in this kindness that people experience God, “His kindness leads to repentance.”
Paul said, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
If we want to up our game in life we need to grow in our ability to see beyond the surface, grab hold of the potential and work it to the surface. After all that’s what God did with us!