Obedience and Love

"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him" (Exd. 23:4,5). What is it that we see here in the law of the Lord? Well, that's easy, it's the age old Commandment of God to "love thy neighbor as thyself" (Does that verse really need referencing?). Jesus also said it this way: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets" (Mat. 7:12). So if our neighbor is someone who doesn't like us, and that for no good reason; we are still supposed to have a heart that wants to help him if he is in need. That really does make sense, especially in light of another famous saying: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). That is also known in modern time as "what goes around comes around." Again, that is true simply because "God is not mocked," and God still governs the affairs of men (Gen. 18:25; Psm. 105:7). So my question here is this: If we should lend a helping hand to someone who doesn't like us for no good reason, when they are in need; shouldn't we also do the same for our friend when he is in need? It seems to me that we should, anyway. How about this? If we are supposed to help our enemy when he's in trouble, shouldn't we also help someone who has always been known to help us when we have been in need? Forgive me if I'm out of the know, but that just seems to make good sense to me.

So why would I even bother to ask such a question? Well, we should only "speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen" (Jn. 3:11). I try to stay within those very safe boundaries, and I do know and have seen exactly what I'm talking about and asking about here. That is a very, very sad fact that I truly wish I could say I do not know and have not seen, but I have. I think we should strive to have the testimony that David had with these things: "They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother" (Psm. 35:12-14). If David had that testimony regarding those who hated him, I think we know how he dealt with his friends when they were in need. When I hear people talking a lot of Gospel, and a lot of Jesus, and a lot of love, and I see a blatant oversight in this arena; I really have to wonder what the heck is somebody thinking. In light of Jesus' statement in Matthew 7:12, which by the way sums up the entire faith of Christ, I can only echo what the apostle Paul had to say about it: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (II Cor. 13:5). As for me, I have done exactly that, and I am not ashamed of my record. I truly hope I will be able to continue to do as I've done in these kind of things, regardless of how disheartening it is to see and experience others so often overlook the obvious. God bless.