“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?” Matthew 5:44-46
Today’s Christian daily devotional
Marcus arrived only six minutes after Moses. This was the end of the era of peace in the Hubbard household.
It made no difference what the two boys actually did; there always seemed to be an undercurrent of competition between them.
Although the two siblings shared the same bloodline as Virginia and Howard, they were as different as night and day; and they were treated as such.
Marcus, being the younger, took advantage of his mother’s extra affections. And nothing stopped him from lavishing in all her attention. If Marcus mentioned he was feeling a bit under the weather, he would be kept home without question. If he couldn’t seem finish his homework, Virginia was quick to come to his aid. Any time a fight broke out with Marcus involved, whoever came against the ‘golden boy’ was ruled an enemy—even (and especially) if it were his older brother, Moses.
Perhaps it was his noble name—Moses’ mother pressured the boy to surpass all hardships with her brute words: “suck it up”. Moses, unlike his younger more coddled sibling, had no problems finding friends or making good grades. It seemed the greater he was suppressed; the more brilliantly Moses flourished.
Unfortunately this worked against any favor he might have been given at home. It only fueled his mother’s sympathy for the less-fortunate Marcus.
Virginia’s loyalties were solidified one fateful winter day in 1969.
“Get up. You’ve got forty five minutes to finish your paper route and eat your breakfast.” Virginia pulled the toasty afghan off ten-year-old Moses.
He rubbed his eyes and sleepily put on the socks that were lying on his bedside floor. As the blood slowly pumped through his sluggish morning veins, he looked for his warmest shirt and pants. It was cold outside. Moses could tell by the chilly breeze that leaked through the cracks of his icy windowsill.
He tossed a stuffed animal at his sleeping twin brother. Apparently, mom had forgotten to wake him.
“Stop it. Mom said I could sleep in.” Marcus taunted back by sticking out his pink tongue and laughing silently. He then ducked beneath the warm blankets, dodging the second flying animal.
Moses couldn’t believe his ears. He ran out into the hallway just in time to catch Virginia bundling up the last of his brother’s paper route.
“Why does Marcus get to sleep in?” Moses demanded.
“He’s tired. He went to bed late last night doing homework. Stop asking questions and get ready or you won’t have time for your oatmeal.” She tossed Moses his hat and gloves.
Ten minutes later, Moses was pedaling down the snow driven streets of Archer Avenue. His paper route consisted of all the even houses on the block.
Virginia was riding slowly behind Moses in the family’s rusted station wagon, tossing Marcus’s papers to all the odd houses.
Warm tears spilled down the young boy’s cheeks, leaving frozen tracks that felt tight on his face. He had always suspected that his mother favored Marcus. And ever since that fateful winter morning, she would prove that Moses’ instinctive theory was in fact very correct.
Matthew 5:44-46 is one tall order. Following the wisdom of Jesus is easier said than done. How could Moses overcome the complexities of forgiving the betrayal of his own mother? How could he ever forgive the taunting favoritism of his sibling, Marcus?
These questions can only be answered correctly when they are presented to a divine source of wisdom—God Himself.
In the Bible it mentions that with God all things are possible. This means: even forgiving the unforgiveable. Because in fact, every child of God has been forgiven of many unforgiveable things.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
My heart wants to serve you. But, when I read Matthew 5:44-46 I start to realize how hard that is.
Even though I desire to obey you, forgiving and blessing the very people who have hurt me feels like it is an impossible task. It may have been easy for Jesus, but I am not Jesus!
Lord, help me to be more like Him today. I know that the power of God is living on the inside of me.
Help me to be healed of my past wounds. Forgive me for holding onto them. I realize that they are holding me back, not moving me forward to better things and a good future.
Lord, the battle within me rages—a part of me wants to do the right thing and a part of me is angry that you expect it from me. Help me to let that anger go.
I was built to do the impossible, because the source to overcome all adversities—even myself— is within me.
Help me, Lord. In Jesus’ precious name, to be more like Him today, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Matthew 5:44-46
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan