Compliments from an Enemy

"The Christians know and trust their God. They placate those who oppress them and make their enemies their friends. They do good to their enemies. Their wives are absolutely pure and their daughters are modest. Their men abstain from unlawful marriages and all other impurity.

"If any of them has a bondwoman or children, they persuade them to become Christians because of the love they have for them; and when they become so, they are called, 'brother' without distinction. They love one another. "They rescue the orphan from him who does violence. He who has gives ungrudgingly to him who has not. If they see a stranger, they take him into their dwellings and rejoice over him as over a real brother, for they do not call each other brother after the flesh, but after the spirit of God. If any among them is poor and needy, and they do not have food to spare, they fast two or three days that they may supply him with the necessary food. "They scrupulously obey their Messiah. Every morning and every hour they thank and praise God for his loving kindness toward them. Because of them, there flows forth all the beauty that there is in the world.

"But the deeds which they do, they do not proclaim to the ears of the multitude, but they take care that no man shall perceive them. Thus their labor is righteous. Truly this is a new people and there is something divine in them."

This text was reported to the Roman Emperor Hadrian between 117 A.D. and 138 A.D. Dear Christian friend, is this how your enemy describes you?

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Prayer

Father,

Remind us of the love we had when we first came to know You! You must be our first love. Fill our hearts with peace and joy because of Jesus, and help us to be hungry to know You more. Let that love and grace that You have motivate all of our actions. Lord, teach us, also, to love others more than we love ourselves. We need Your help to surrender our attitudes, our time, our money, and even ourselves for the good of others, rather than keeping them back for our own gain. Use this love for You and love for others to bring many to know You.

In Jesus' name, Amen